Pumpkin Loaf

I got a little too excited when I walked into the supermarket and saw the newly built mount of pumpkins of all sizes and shapes – especially all the shapes.

So I bought one too many pumpkins, which gave me the perfect excuse to try to bake as much as I could with them!

I immediately thought of baking a bread, much like a potato roll, but with puree made from roasted pumpkin, you will only use about a quarter of a small pumpkin to make this recipe, but it can be doubled. It took a couple attempts to get it right, adjusting for fat and sugar ratios, and the result was a super moreish loaf. I cut slices of the dough and lined them up in the tin before baking it as it meant you could pull apart the slices.

It is best served fresh out of the oven but also great to make toast.

Have your butter ready!

Pumpkin loaf

200g roasted pumpkin

1 egg

70ml whole milk

50g butter, melted

500g strong flour

14g instant yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fennel seeds

Olive oil to grease

1. Roast the pumpkin – I quartered and de-seeded a small pumpkin, covered with foil and roasted in the oven at 200C for 44 minutes. For this recipe you’ll only need 200g.

2. Blend the pumpkin, egg, milk and melted butter together until it forms a puree and set aside.

3. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, fennel seeds if using, and make a well in the centre. Add the pumpkin mixture to the centre and mix it with a knife.

4. Tip the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes until it feels smooth (or you can mix and knead the ingredients in a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment). Wipe out the bowl so it is free of flour, lightly oil and then place the dough back in. Cover and leave it to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C. Knock back the dough a handful of times, to release larger air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth oval and slice it, line the slices into the greased loaf tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the loaf is risen and golden. Leave it to cool slightly before removing it from the tin and leaving it to cool completely on a wire rack.

.

More bread recipes: