Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is delicious and healthy.  It is slightly sweet, has a soft crust and a rich, golden, moist crumb.  If you cannot find fresh pumpkins, canned pumpkin will work just as well.  I use canned organic pumpkin purée.  In that case, use water instead of the reserved cooking liquid.  Acorn or butternut squash can be used as a substitute for pumpkin.  I learned and adapted the recipe from Ultimate Bread by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno.

1 1/2 lbs. pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces, or 15 oz. canned pumpkin purée
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 cup water
egg glaze, made with 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons pumpkins seeds or rolled oats, to decorate

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil.  Add the pumpkin and simmer steadily until soft and cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Drain the pumpkin well and reserve the cooking liquid.

Purée in a food processor, about 2 minutes.  Let the pumpkin purée and reserved cooking liquid cool until lukewarm.

Fit a food processor with the metal chopping blade, not the dough blade.  Add the flour, salt, and yeast, and pulse for a second or two.  Add the pumpkin purée, honey, and water.  Pulse till a dough forms, then let processor run for 20 seconds to form a fairly coarse, sticky dough.  If the mixture is too dry, add a few tablespoons of the pumpkin cooking or water.  You want the dough to be sticky so the loaf will be moist.

Turn the dough out into a bowl.  Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.  This is called "autolyse;" it permits the flour to absorb the water.  Then knead with a rubber spatula a few times.  Cover with plastic wrap and a towel.  Let rise until doubled:  about 2 hours if you use 2 teaspoons of yeast, about 4 hours if you use 1 teaspoon of yeast.  

Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.  Remove the dough from the bowl to a heavily floured work surface, sprinkle with flour, and knead a few times; then round or "chafe" the dough using a cupping motion for 4 or 5 minutes.  Place a 12" piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet or pizza peel; cut the paper in half and overlap the inner edge by about one inch.  Place the dough on the parchment paper.  Brush lightly with water or egg glaze, and sprinkle on some pumpkin seeds or rolled oats.  Cover with a towel.  Let rise until double, 30 minutes to 1 hour if you use 2 teaspoons of yeast.

If you have one, place a baking stone in the middle of your oven.  Place a skillet on the bottom rack.  Heat oven to 400ºF.  Heat one cup of water in the microwave oven for 1 minute. 

Place dough on baking sheet in oven, or slide dough with parchment paper under it onto baking stone.  Pour one cup of water in the skillet.  After 10 minutes, remove parchment paper; pull each side out using tongs; and remove the skillet.  Rotate bread 180º.  Bake for another 10 minutes.  Rotate, turn the heat down to 350ºF, and bake for another 10 minutes.  Rotate and bake for another 10 minutes.   Remove and tap on the bottom of loaf; if it sounds hollow, it is done.  Otherwise place in the oven for another 10 minutes.  When done, place on a wire rack to cool.  If you desire, you can insert an instant read thermometer in the bottom of the bread to test for doneness.  This loaf was perfect at 180°F.