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Create a spectacular pumpkin loaf and serve with soup.
Taking the time to create a pumpkin shaped bread is so therapeutic. Use my basic bread recipe below or use your favourite bread recipe. The joy is in the tying, proving and baking your pumpkin. Using pumpkin seeds results in very tasty and nutritious bread.
It’s that time of year – patches abound with seemingly impossibly sized pumpkins. It’s all too tempting to discard the flesh in pursuit of the scariest pumpkin face.
Roasting pumpkin with other vegetables is simple to make soup. Your soup can be frozen and eaten at a later date.
How to tie the pumpkin bread
Get your equipment ready. You’ll need some kitchen string (smooth and white), scissors and a lame for scoring.
How to Tie Pumpkin Bread by Danielle Ellis- Create your bread recipe and prove. Shape the dough evenly into rounds and let it sit on the table whilst you cut and soak your string.
- Cut 4 pieces of string 3 times the width or your dough. Soak in a bowl of water for a few minutes. This is essential to ensure easy removal of the string when baked.
- Place the first two pieces of string, one horizontal one vertical. Then add the two further pieces of string diagonally – you now have 8 ‘ends’
- Pull the top and bottom ends of the string in and knot, pulling through the dough
- Bring the left and right hand ends into the middle and knot.
- Then tie each diagonal in turn.
- Leave your dough to prove in the usual way.
- Score before baking. Using a cast iron pan or dutch oven is ideal
- Before completely cooled, cut through each loop and pull gently to remove the string.
Create delicious pumpkin seed bread
Adding pumpkin pulp to a bread recipe can be tricky. Use pumpkin seeds instead! Use the recipe below for a tasty treat.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
I use a mix of white and granary flour flour in this recipe. You could make it with white and wholemeal, just keep to twice as much white flour as other flour. Adding the pumpkin seeds once the dough has mixed well ensures they remain whole and are well mixed.
Ingredients
- 300 grams white bread flour
- 200 grams granary or wholemeal flour
- 350 millilitres water 22?
- 7 grams dried instant yeast or fresh yeast
- 8 grams salt
- 50 grams pumpkin seeds plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Autolyse (Soak)
- Soak the flour, yeast, and water for 30 minutes either in your stand mixer bowl or large bowl. Mix roughly to incorporate the ingredients. This will aid mixing and improve flavour
- Stand mixer versionAdd the salt and mix on a low speed for 5 minutes with the dough hook
- Increase the speed to medium and mix for a further 3 minutes or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. You can test whether the dough is ready by: checking the temperature which should be between 24° and 26°C or pull some of the dough to check the dough has some resistance does not break easily (window pan technique).
- Add the pumpkin seeds and mix until incorporated.
- Hand mix versionAdd the salt.
- When well mixed, take the dough out of the bowl and knead until smooth. Check the temperature, it should be about 24 degrees. Check the dough for resistance and that it will not break easily.
- Mix in the pumpkin seeds
- ShapingShape your bread and leave for a further 45 minutes to an hour before baking. You can place it on a couche dusted with flour and cover, or in a banetton dredged with flour and covered.
Shaping for Pumpkin
- Pre heat your oven to 230°C /440°F an hour before you want to bake. If you have a cast iron pan, pre-heat.
- If you are making a pumpkin shape, cut the string into 4 pieces, 3 times the width of you dough. Place one piece of string vertically, then another horizontally. Then place a third and 4 the piece diagonally (see video)
- BakingSlash the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. If using a cast iron pan, take the lid off after 25 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Breadbakerdani or tag #SevernBitesBreadmaking!
Use up that pumpkin
Create this delicious soup. Either roast or using a pressure cooker. It’s so easy!
Pumpkin Soup
The is the very best way to use up pumpkin if it's Hallowe'en or substitute any squash you have to hand year round. The soup has the most gorgeous texture and is seasoned with chilli and peppers. You can either roast the vegetables or cook them in a pressure cooker – the flavour is really enhanced if they are roasted. You can add other vegetables such as parsnips too.
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
- 1 Pressure cooker optional
Ingredients
- 100 Red, green or yellow peppers
- 500 grams Pumpkin or squash roasted
- 200 grams White or red onion
- 1/2 Fresh red chilli or 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 clove Garlic, peeled and crushed
- 100 grams fresh tomatoes chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary about 10 cm / 4 inches long
- 30 ml olive oil
- water
Instructions
Roasted vegetable option
- Cut the pumpkin or squash into evenly sized pieces. Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Slice chilli and the tomato. Place all the vegetables into an oven proof dish.
- Sprinkle with oil and rosemary. Roast in a pre heated oven 180? 400? for 25 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.
- When cooled a little, add to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add enough water to make a spoonable soup. Return to the pan and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pressure cooker option
- Cut the pumpkin or squash into evenly sized pieces. Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Slice chilli and the tomato.
- Pop all the ingredients (except salt and pepper) into the pressure cooker and add 500 ml water and the rosemary.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure safely when cooled a little.
- Place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add more water if necessary to make a spoonable soup. Return to the pan and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Blend adding more water as required to a consistency you like and serve.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Breadbakerdani or tag #SevernBitesBreadmaking!