Well I tried, and even succeeded for several posts to stay away from pumpkin, but I just can’t help myself. Hi, my name is Tracy, and I’m a pumpkin addict. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?
I made this bread a few weeks ago, adapted from this recipe from King Arthur Flour. However, instead of making two small loaves, I made one big one. I would NOT recommend this; while baking, the top of the bread was beginning to turn quite dark while the inside of the bread was still very doughy in the center. You’ll definitely want to split the dough in half after the first rise and make two smaller loaves, so I’ll write the directions accordingly.
All that said, this is my new favorite yeast bread! It’ absolutely perfect for any chilly, autumn morning, toasted and with a little bit of butter.
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp instant yeast
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 stick butter, melted
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, sugar, salt, and yeast.
In a smaller bowl, mix together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well-combined.
Knead the dough with a stand mixer for 2 minutes (3 minutes by hand). Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading for about 5 more minutes until smooth (8-10 minutes by hand), and then knead in the cranberries. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about an hour or until doubled in volume.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Divide it in half, and then divide each half into three pieces about 10″ long.
For each loaf, braid the pieces together, and then pinch the ends together and tuck them underneath. Cover them with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another hour. They won’t get much bigger, but they’ll be puffy. While you’re waiting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool the loaves on a wire rack. Give one to a friend!
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