Abstract Utopia - I am a Desert.

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

November 18, 2005
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Alrighty, I quite literally made up this recipe as I was pouring ingredients into the bowl. When making bread, so long as you remember the basics, it's not hard at all to modify existing bread recipes. For this recipe, I modified a plain, white bread recipe. Thinking back on it, I think I should have modified a wheat bread recipe as it would have made a richer, more solid bread, but I didn't want the flavour of the flour to overpower the flavour of the pumpkin.

I used fresh pie pumpkins to make this bread. I peeled and cubed the pumpkins and boiled them in sugar water (rather than salt water, not a lot of sugar, just a couple of tablespoons). This made it so I didn't have to add any more granulated sugar to the recipe. Instead, I used a cup of the left over sugar water (now pumpkin infused) to activate the yeast. I pureed the pumpkin cubes in my food processor and added a touch of cinnamon and ground clove to them. I ground the spices with my mortal and pestle because I've always through that pre-ground spices lose some of their flavour. Also, the mortar and pestle (marble, I hate the wooden ones and the ceramic ones) will add a touch of heat to the spices as you grind them down and this really brings out the flavour and will help to infuse the pureed pumpkin.

I sat over my bowl and contemplated what should go into the bread. For a sweetener, I went with a small amount of brown sugar and a dollop of honey. The Honey will turn down the bitterness of the yeast and the brown sugar will add a bit of molassas to the bread to cut down the possible tang on the pureed pumpkin. The brown sugar will also cut the natural bitterness of the honey I happen to use. (I use sourwood honey... yes, different honies have very different flavours. You need to think about this when adding it to recipes.)

Now, if you are too lazy to take the time to make fresh pumpkin, you can use the stuff in the can just as well. I am going to present the recipe based on that assumption.

1 cup pureed pie pumpkin (8oz of pumpkin in a can)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup brown sugar
cloves and cinnamon
2 packages dry active yeast
5-7 cups flour
2 Tablespoons honey
1 egg

Activate the yeast by adding mixing the granulated sugar with the yeast and slowly mixing in the lukewarm water. Let it stand until it becomes foamy.
Mix a dash of ground clove and ground cinnamon to the pumpkin puree.
Add pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, honey and 2 cups of flour to the foamy, yeasty water and stir until well blended.
Slowly add in flour until a stiff dough is formed. The dough should pull off the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough by hand on a well floured surface.
Shape into a ball and place into a greased bowl to rise. Cover with a plastic bag and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size. Make sure the place where you leave the bread to rise is warm.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead again.
Shape the bread how you wish to bake it. I did the following:

Separate the dough into 18 small balls.
Roll out into half inch thick circles.
On the top of the circle of dough, spread a thin layer of pureed pumpkin over the top.
Fold circle in half and pinch closed.
Allow the semi-circular pumpkin pocket to rise for about a half hour

Brush the surface of the bread with melted butter. If desires, sprinkle the top with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Bake in an oven preheated to 375°F.
Take out when the top is a golden brown colour and it sounds hollow when you thump the top.
Cool on a rack.

That's it. Yummy.

Posted by Utopia at November 18, 2005 07:57 AM

Comments

That sounds super yummy!!! I'm going to have to try your recipe at home. :o)

Posted by: Yaeli at November 18, 2005 10:41 PM

Sounds too much like work to me. -grin-

Posted by: YummY! at November 19, 2005 06:44 PM

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