This recipe for pumpkin bread is unlike one you may have tried before. Most pumpkin breads are more like sweet cake than bread. This recipe makes a traditional loaf of bread that’s slightly sweet and absolutely wonderful toasted and served with jam or preserves.
You will need a cup of pumpkin puree to make the bread (using a liquid measuring cup). If using fresh pumpkins, be sure to roast them before pureeing to bring out the natural sweetness. Each pound of fresh pumpkin should yield about a cup of puree.
Pumpkin Bread – Psomi me Kolokitha
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: One loaf – about 1 1/2 lbs.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 envelope active dry yeast, (1/4 oz.)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, (use liquid measure)
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 2 tbsp. butter, melted (plus more for brushing pan)
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
Preparation:
- Note:If you are using fresh pumpkin, you will need to roast the cleaned pumpkin in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is tender and beginning to caramelize.
- After the pumpkin cools a bit, peel the skin away from the flesh using a sharp paring knife and cut into cubes. Process the pumpkin cubes in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place the puree in a strainer lined with cheesecloth to drain excess water.
- Sift the flour together with the salt. Add the sugar and the yeast and mix well. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the pumpkin, milk, and melted butter. Mix well. If the dough seems dry, add a bit of the lukewarm water until you have moist and pliable dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth. (You can add a little more water if the dough seems stiff or dry.)
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl covered with plastic wrap. Keep the dough in a warm spot and allow it to rise until double in size, about an hour.
- Turn the dough out again onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Brush a 1 1/2 lb. loaf pan (approximately 10 x 5 x 3 inches) with melted butter. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Allow the loaf to rise almost to the top of the pan.
- Brush the top with beaten egg and bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 25 – 30 minutes.
- If the top of the loaf begins to brown too much, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing.
