Pumpkin Sandwich Bread

Why limit pumpkin to pies and desserts? Use pumpkin puree to make pumpkin sandwich bread loaves and dinner rolls!

As soon as Halloween is oven, it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and beyond.

Will you serve a sit down dinner? Would you rather host a cocktail party? Do you have enough chairs and seating for everyone?

I often feel unprepared and overwhelmed by the eight short weeks between Halloween and New Year’s Day. This year will be different. I’m planning super early!

Pumpkin Sandwich Bread

I’ve already started making batches of this pumpkin sandwich bread.

Since it freezes well, I’ll always have enough bread on hand to make leftover Thanksgiving panini or a plate of pumpkin sandwich bread grilled cheese (like the one photographed above) whenever the craving strikes!

Honestly, I’ve never been much of a pumpkin pie fan. 

I prefer using pumpkin in cakes (Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake), cookies (Pumpkin Snickerdoodle), and breads (Pumpkin Sticky Buns).

Hands down my favorite way to incorporate pumpkin in autumn baking is through breads!

A few years ago I made these pumpkin dinner rolls topped with poppy seeds.

This year’s pumpkin bread variation can be made two ways: into a loaf or into small slider buns.

The recipe makes enough to make both versions.

The pumpkin sandwich bread loaf is very simple to shape:

1. After the dough’s initial rise, punch down the dough to remove air bubbles.
2. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 9×12-inches.
3. Fold into thirds like a business letter and place seam side down into a well greased (or parchment lined) bread loaf pan. That’s it!

Shaping the rolls (aka slider buns) requires a little more effort.

How to Shape Pumpkin Sandwich Bread Rolls:

Uniformity is important when making bread rolls. In order the rolls to bake evenly, they should be roughly the same size.

For this reason, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to portion out the dough pieces.

Keep the portioned dough pieces covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out or forming “elephant skin.”

1. I start by flatting the piece of dough to remove any air bubbles.
2. Then I take the edges of the dough and bring it to the center.
3. Pinch the seams together.
4. Place the dough seam-side down on your work surface.
5. Keeping the side of your palm and pinky finger on the work surface, roll the dough into a tight ball. Use your thumb to guide the dough.
6. In the end, you have a round ball with a smooth top.

Place the shaped dough balls on a lightly greased baking dish. You can use a 9×13-baking pan or 12-inch round baking pan.

The dough will seem too small for such a large pan. Have no fear. They’ll puff up.

Cover with plastic wrap or lid and let rise. After an hour or so, the dough will magically grow!

Before baking, the risen dough get lightly brushed with egg wash and topped with pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

These pumpkin sandwich bread rolls smell amazing as they bake in the oven. You’ll want pull off a roll as soon as they’re done baking.

While you can eat the bread rolls fresh from the oven, I suggest allowing the 9×5-inch bread loaf to cool to room temperature before slicing in.

This pumpkin sandwich bread is the perfect vehicle for all sorts of toppings.

Enjoy it toasted with butter or jam. Use to it make a BLT or turkey sandwich.

Once it becomes a little stale, give it a second life as a pumpkin French toast!