Seasons change and food follows. September and together the last signs of Summer are already behind us. Autumn is here and so is pumpkin
That was my first attempt to do a pumpkin bread. I incorporated into the dough both pumpkin pulp and seeds. The pulp in the form of puree brought to bread a mild test of pumpkin, contributed though an intense and beautiful mustard-like hue. The seeds made a stronger presence by bringing flavour plus a nice chew in the mouth.
Overall, the bread came out wonderful, both in structure and taste, and I have the feeling it came to stay for long at the top of my favorite bread list.
Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
Baked in a loaf tin (26x12x7cm)
400g bread flour (1)
100g whole grain flour (2)
100g active sourdough starter
325g water (65% hydration compared to total flour) (3)
100g pumpkin puree (4)
100g pumpkin seeds (5)
10g salt
(1) Any type of bread wheat flour can be used (here I used type1050)
(2) Both whole grain wheat and dinkel flours fit nicely
(3) The final dough hydration will be higher than indicated because the pumpkin puree is almost 90% water. Using the above amounts the dough comes out relatively wet. You might want to start using less water (60%) and add some extra only after assembling the dough and you feel comfortable handling it
(4) To prepare the pumpkin puree, cut the pumpkin, remove its core of seeds and threads, peel it, cut it in pieces, cook it in a pot with a small amount of extra water until soft, and make a puree using a fork. Let it cool down before adding it into the dough
(5) Soak the seeds for a few hours in hot water before use
- Mix well in a bowl all the ingredients (except the seeds) until flour is fully hydrated. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 min.
- Knead the dough for 5 min with your preferred technique and let it rest for another 30 min.
- Add the seeds in 3-4 steps and incorporate them by stretching and folding the dough. Let the dough relax for 10 min in between each step.
- After incorporating all the seeds, cover the dough and let it ferment until rises approximately 50% its original volume. Depending on the exact conditions it might take between 4-8 hours.
- Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface, shape it, and carefully transfer it into a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Put the tin in a plastic bag and place it in the fridge to proof overnight.
- Bake directly the bread in a pre-heated oven at 220ºC for 45-60 min, reducing the temperature to 180 ºC for the second half of the baking.
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