Pour la recette en français: c’est par ici!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I wanted to try to make a pumpkin bread recipe to go with the meal. I will most likely make adjustments to this recipe in the future, but I was very happy with the results, so I wanted to share it with you.
Note that this bread will go with everything. You can use it as an appetizer to make some toast. Or you can also eat it with a soup, even with cheese etc.
I have given a loaf to my neighbor, he personally loved it, but his wife had one feedback: she thought it would taste like a pumpkin pie and she was disappointed it didn’t. So I want to make it clear before you go further and so you are not disappointed either, this is plain bread. The pumpkin gives it a different texture and color, but pumpkin itself doesn’t have much taste unless you roast it, add spices to it, etc. which is not the case here. I think a pumpkin pie gets its taste from the spices more than anything else (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, … everything that will remind you of fall). You are more welcome to try to roast the pumpkin in a mix of these spices in order to give it a more Pumpkin Pie twist.
See recipe below, let me know if you liked it!
Ingredients for 6 loaves:
- 1200g flour
- 700g pumpkin (cooked and mashed)
- 165g heavy cream
- 50g butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 1 egg (50g)
- 14g active dry yeast
- 50g sugar
- 15g salt
- 200g of the water you used to cook the pumpkin (+100g if needed)
- Optional: 100g pumpkin seeds and 100g hazelnuts
Prepare all your ingredients. Rehydrate the yeast with water. Combine all your ingredients except the seeds in your mixer fitter with a dough hook (you can also mix by hand on your counter). Mix on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid) for about 2 minutes. Then on medium for about 5 minutes (4 on a KitchenAid) until you have a smooth, soft dough. Add water if needed. Add the seeds and mix just until incorporated.
Set aside in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Gently deflate and fold your dough a couple of times and put it back in the fridge for about 30 min. Divide your dough in pieces of 400g. Shape the pieces into boules (round). To shape the bread, collect the dough into a rough ball. Cup your hands over it and move them in tight circles as you pull the ball toward you with the heel of your hands, creating a smooth surface on the ball.
Place your breads on a couche (if you have one) or parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rest for about 1h. With a lame, razor blade or knife, make a cross on top of your balls, you can also cut the bread with scissors if you don’t have anything sharp available (I couldn’t find my lame so I used scissors for this recipe).
Bake for 10 min at 400F and then 10 min at 350F. Slide the loaves on a wire rack to cool down.
Tips:
For better results, use a baking stone, so the heat is evenly distributed. Turn on your oven about 1 hour before for it to be at the right temperature when you place your bread on it.
Steam is your best ally if you want a nice crust. Preheat a cast iron skillet on the lower rack of your oven and when loading your bread on the baking stone, just throw a few ice cubes on the hot skillet and close the oven. It will produce steam and your loaves will be glossy and crusty on the outside.
Materials:
– I use a baker couche to proof my bread. I learnt this way when I was working in a bakery in France and I think it does make the difference.
– To cut my bread, I use a Bread Lame. It is perfect especially when you do baguettes.
– To bake the bread, I use a Baking stone. This is THE most important thing and the only thing you need in order to make good bread. If you have to buy only one thing, this is it.
