Pumpkin Knot Rolls

Merry Christmas Eve! Here is the 12th and final Christmas recipe for this year. It is a yeast roll that is both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. And if you have any picky eaters at home, you can feel good that they are getting a little bit of vegetables in their bread! You can't taste the pumpkin in these rolls, but the color is unmistakable.


Pumpkin Knot Rolls

▪ 2 pkgs. (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
▪ 1 cup warm milk, (110º to 115º)
▪ ⅓ cup butter, softened
▪ ½ cup sugar
▪ 1 cup canned pumpkin
▪ 3 eggs
▪ 1½ tsp salt
▪ 5½ - 6 cups all purpose flour
▪ 1 Tbsp. cold water
▪ sesame or poppy seeds, optional

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, sugar, pumpkin, 2 eggs, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each half into 12 balls. Roll each ball into a 10-inch rope; tie into a knot and tuck ends under. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat water and remaining egg. Brush over rolls. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 350ºF for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.


Notes: In the winter time my kitchen is cold (my whole house is cold) and so it takes longer for these rolls to rise. This is also an easy recipe to cut in half if you only want to make 12 rolls.

I have enjoyed sharing some of my family's favorite recipes again with you this year. Have a very Merry Christmas!