If you love getting your hands in dough, don’t hesitate to try this delicious pumpkin loaf bread. Actually… delicious doesn’t do it justice because it’s out of this world! Even the color is a spectacle. Not to mention how soft it is. I’ll just say that half of it disappeared as soon as I finished taking the photos. We ate it just like that… plain. The other half was gone by dinner. In short, a recipe I can’t recommend enough.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Microwave, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring
Ingredients for the Pumpkin Loaf Bread
In preparing this pumpkin loaf bread, I used dry yeast, but if you prefer, you can replace it with fresh yeast. In this case, use 10/12 g and dissolve it in the lukewarm liquid ingredients
- 7 oz pumpkin (weight after peeling)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 oz pumpkin seeds
- milk
- pumpkin seeds
Tools
I used a stand mixer, but you can easily use any other mixer or knead by hand by working the ingredients first in a bowl and then on the worktop.
- 1 Container for microwave
- Stand Mixer
- 1 Hand Whisk
- 1 Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- 1 Loaf Pan 10 x 4 inches
- Brush
Preparing the Pumpkin Loaf Bread
Clean the pumpkin by removing the peel and all the seeds and internal filaments. Wash the slices under running water and place them in a glass container without drying them. Cover and cook them in the microwave at 900 W for about 4 minutes. 7 oz of pumpkin flesh is about four slices. If you don’t have a microwave, you can boil the pumpkin in a pot with a little water or in the oven. Unfortunately, I lost the photos of these steps.
When cooked, the flesh should be soft: test it with a fork which should sink in without resistance. Transfer the slices onto paper towels and pat them dry as much as possible. Then, mash them with a fork, reduce them to a puree, and let them cool.
In the stand mixer’s bowl, place the two types of flour, sugar, dry yeast, and mix with a small hand whisk.
Add the lukewarm water and milk and give a first quick knead with the dough hook.
Then add the cooled pumpkin puree and knead again.
Once a compact mixture is obtained, add the salt and incorporate it perfectly.
Finally, add the butter pieces and pumpkin seeds. Continue kneading until you get a smooth and soft dough that wraps around the hook.
Transfer onto a lightly floured work surface, work it briefly with your hands, and shape it into a ball.
Place it in a large bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in a warm place away from drafts. Rising time depends greatly on the room temperature and can vary from two to three hours.
After the first rising, place the dough back on the lightly floured work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 14 × 10 inches.
At this point, roll up the rectangle starting from the short side.
Then, place it in a 10 x 4 inches loaf pan previously lined with parchment paper or greased and floured. Place the seam of the roll facing down so that the surface is smooth.
Cover and let rise again for another hour and a half.
Finally, brush the top of the pumpkin loaf bread with milk and sprinkle with more pumpkin seeds. I brushed it a second time to try to “stick” the seeds well to the dough.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 35 minutes, covering with foil in the last minutes of baking if it browns too much.
Take it out of the oven, transfer it to a wire rack, and let it cool completely before slicing it. I recommend using an electric knife for perfect slices. If you don’t have one, a serrated knife will do. If you wish to purchase one, you can find it online by clicking HERE. Enjoy! Paola
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