As I mentioned in my last PUMPKIN post, this is the second recipe which comes from the second half of the pumpkin I bought last weekend. After making my first ever batch of pumpkin cupcakes which proved to be as good, if not better than one of my favourites, carrot cake, I thought I would go experimental with the other pumpkin half.
I came across a recipe HERE for pumpkin bread as in a loaf of bread and not a sweet cake loaf. I wanted to try it out, not particularly because I thought that it would taste very good, more for the fact it used exactly the amount of pumpkin that I had left. I was also curious to see how a loaf could be made without adding any water.
The water content in the pumpkin was all that this loaf needed, along with very few other ingredients, making this a simple yet original loaf to enjoy. I chose to add in some paprika but think that smoked paprika would also work really well as would some freshly chopped rosemary. What I also did to make sure the crust stayed good and crunchy, was to spray into the oven some water. This worked a treat and produced a loaf I was delighted with. It was enjoyed by all the family and made delicious toast the next day but didn’t last much longer than that.
As with my Walnut Rosemary & Fruit loaf, this bread was also excellent with blue cheese. The saltiness of the cheese balanced the sweetness of the pumpkin to make a loaf I will be returning to again and again.
As pumpkins are so cheap at the moment and this wonderful loaf is far cheaper than anything you will find in a rather costly artisan bakers, I am entering it into Credit Crunch Munch hosted by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours. This month the challenge is being guest hosted by Utterly Scrummy.
I am also sending it over to Tea Time Treats as this month’s challenge is “Bread”. The challenge is co-hosted by What Kate Baked and Lavender & Lovage.
This loaf also fits in with “Let’s Cook with Pumpkin” over at Simply Sensational Food.
Pumpkin bread
A seasonal Autumnal pumpkin loaf of home-made bread
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 2 tsp fast action yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 450 g cooked pumpkin I peeled and chopped the pumpkin into small chunks and boiled it for 20 minutes before straining then blitzed it in a food processor to achieve a smooth puree,
- A splash of tepid water if your dough is too dry
- Olive oil for glazing
- Pumpkin seeds and linseeds for the topping.
Instructions
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Cook the pumpkin, drain then mash it in a food processor or with a potato masher to achieve a smooth puree,
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Put the flour, yeast, salt, paprika into the bowl of a food mixer with a dough hook attached,
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Add in the cooked, mashed pumpkin then begin to knead the dough in the machine and continue for 10 minutes on a medium setting. If the dough is dry then add in a splash of tepid water. You can knead the dough by hand if you don't have a food mixer,
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After 10 minutes cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise slowly for between 1&1/2 to 2 hours,
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Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knock it back as well as shape it into round loaf and place it on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cover with a tea towel and let prove for a further 30-60 minutes,
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Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and once the oven is at the correct temperature, brush the top of the loaf with olive oil and sprinkle over the pumpkin and linseeds,
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Spray some water into the hot oven and bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes until the crust is firm and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it.
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Let the loaf cool on a wire rack before eating.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno
What a great use for Pumpkin, such fabulous looking loaf and love the kick of paprika too. Thank you for entering Credit Crunch Munch with such a thrifty and taste tastic recipe:-)
This bread looks so amazing, thankyou so much for linking it to lets cook with pumpkin event.
Lovely use for pumpkin, something a little different!
Yes, I can recommend pumpkin bread Caroline, so tasty!
looks delicious Laura, and I can see it has risen well! I am wondering if it might be nice as a sourdough loaf as well ?
Nazima, hope it would make a good sourdough but still have never made it. Have a starter waiting to be made, so need to do it!
That pumpkin loaf looks fabulous and so superior to the shop bought alternatives. I agree a nice slice of strong blue cheese would go nicely with it!
Thanks Jac, it was good with roquefort which I love at the moment :0
Never thought about adding pumpkin to bread. Is it sweet? ‘ve tried sweet potato in bread so I imagine texture the same
Urvashi, it isn’t really sweet. Think it would be sweeter with butternut squash or sweet potato. Pumpkin has a very distinctive flavour and the high water content meant I used no water at all apart from what was present in the pumpkin itself. But it wasn’t soggy, just light and tasty!
This is the most delcious bread I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Perfect crunchy crust, delicious flavour and topped with toasted seeds. No wonder it only lasted a day. The breadboard resembled a shark feeding frenzy. Strongly recommended!
Oh yay! A savoury pumpkin recipe! I thought I was in a minority with my pumpkin hummus. This bread sounds seriously good. I’ve never tried bread without added liquid so I am intrigued to try this. I agree that smoked paprika would be perfect, and that a slice of of salty, tangy blue cheese even more so. Maybe add in some frazzled chorizo to the dough? Nah, it may get lost in it. Sticking with the cheese. Bookmarking, etc. Thanks for sharing, Laura.
Thanks Kellie, love savoury pumpkin and imagint it would be perfect with your pumpkin hummus too!
I love this! Pumpkin bread – delicious! What a great recipe and I bet it’s a tasty moist loaf. Looks great Laura x
Anneli, you should try it. Are pumpkins popular in France?
Oh yes pumpkin bread! This is the recipe I’ve been waiting for! Had enough of the sweet stuff and would love something strong and savoury for the oven! Bookmarked Laura- good one! x
If ever there was a good savoury pumpkin recipe this is it Shu Han!
Hi Laura, this recipe looks fabulous. Is the bread slightly sweet? Is it fluffy of crumbly? It looks so pretty x
Thanks Deena, the bread is just like normal loaf with a good crust and light texture. So good!
Did you remove my comment because it wasn’t 100% positive? I wasn’t criticising the outcome (the bread worked well), I was simply suggesting that you should indicated at the top of the recipe that the times you have given do not include the proving time. Suggesting this recipe only takes an hour is misleading as when you include proving time it is actually over 4 hours from when you mix the ingredients to when you take the bread out of the oven and it’s longer still if you include the time it takes to cook the pumpkin.
Bread turned out fantastic! I did a salt water glaze (every 10 minutes for a total of 35 minutes baking time) instead of the oil glaze and it turned out so delicious and moist. Added fennel, poppy & dill seeds along with some other tandoori spices and cumin which gave it a lovely colour as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much Rebecca for your feedback I one your added flavourings too. I do love this bread recipe 🙂
Laura, this pumpkin bread recipe is a triumph and has become a staple part of our weekly bread making… Thank you very much. Nigel