Pumpkin Shaped Bread
If you have been following me for a while now, you would know that I love baking bread. This is however my first time shaping bread into a giant pumpkin, and it was so fun. It may not be the perfect pumpkin shaped, but I loved shaping it, and this will happen on repeat for a while now.
Is there pumpkin purée in the Bread?
There is no pumpkin purée in the bread, but you can definitely add some along with pumpkin spice mix. This Pumpkin Spiced Bread has caramelized onion which added a mild sweetness to the bread along with the dried oregano.
Are there eggs in this Pumpkin Shaped Bread ?
This is not a brioche bread, so I did not add any egg or milk. It’s a soft artisan bread prepared with yeast, water, oil and flour. It is a very fuss free recipe. You can either use a stand mixer to prepare the dough in a mixing bowl.
Steps to prepare the bread
Depending on the variety of yeast you are using, you will either have to activate the yeast separately in warm water, or you can add it straight away with the flour and start preparing the dough. Instead of kneading the dough for 10 to 12 minutes, I prefer to let it rest and use the technique of folding the dough in between a few times. This helps to develop the gluten slowly, and the folding creates delicate layers. While the bread is resting, prepare the caramelized onion and let it cool down. Once the bread dough has developed enough gluten and the dough stretches comfortably, stretch the dough into a rough rectangular shape and spread the caramelized onion. Then fold the dough like an envelope and shape it into a round ball. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then shape it into a pumpkin by using the baking twine.
Shaping the Bread
You can either take one long baking twine and then keep wrapping it around the dough, or cut multiple strips and layer it on a parchment paper in crisscross format. KEY TIP: Dip the baking twine in oil for a while before you tie it around the dough. Then place the dough on it and tie the twine loosely in the center. Remember to tie loosely, as the dough will rise as it rest for a while before you bake. You can also divide the dough into small portions and make multiple pumpkin dinner rolls.
Baking the Bread
Preheat the oven to 475 F It’s best to bake in a Dutch pan cover with a lid. But you can also bake in a cookie sheet covered loosely with an aluminum foil. The bread is baked covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes to get that golden color on top. KEY TIP: Let the bread cool down before you remove the baking twine and slice the bread. Don’t ever slice bread while it’s still warm. It ruins the texture of the bread. Shaping the bread like a pumpkin definitely has its own charm during Thanksgiving or Christmas, but you can always just keep it rustic round. The texture of the bread is delicate light with the golden crust and the caramelized onion adds a mild sweetness too.
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