This is an elegant savoury tear and share bread that goes well with a Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year feast or buffet. It takes about 60 minutes if you are preparing your own pumpkin puree. But you can do this a few days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until needed.
Prep time: 40 minutes/Cook time: 25 minutes/Serves: 8-10 (+60 minutes to prepare the pumpkin puree)
Ingredients:
275ml whole milk
40g unsalted butter
400g can pumpkin purée (or see below)
550g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp caster sugar
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
10g sea salt
75g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated
2 rosemary sprigs, needles picked and finely chopped
For the Pumpkin Puree:
750g pumpkin or butternut squash
Method:
Begin by peeling the pumpkin and removing the seeds then cut into evenly sized cubes. Put the cubes in a steamer or colander set over a pan of simmering water and cook for 10 minutes. Test with the point of a knife and cook for a further 5 minutes if not cooked through. Mash and leave to cool. Alternatively, to microwave the pumpkin, cut it in half (no need to peel it or cut out the seeds) and sit cut-side up in the microwave. Cook for 20 minutes, then check the flesh is soft by poking it with a fork. Keep cooking if you’d like it softer. Scoop the flesh into a bowl, then mash and leave to cool.
For the pumpkin bread: Warm the milk in a small pan over a low heat until just steaming. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to melt, then add 180g pumpkin purée. Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a stand mixer. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then knead using a dough hook on a medium speed for 5-6 minutes. Or, do this by hand for 10 minutes. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 6) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the rest of the pumpkin purée with the cheese, rosemary and plenty of black pepper.
Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll into balls. Roll each one out into a 25cm circle on a lightly floured surface. Put one dough circle on the baking sheet and spread over a third of the pumpkin filling, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Top with another circle of dough and another third of the filling, repeat, then top with the final dough circle. Use a 10cm round cutter to score a circle into the middle of the dough stack. Slice the stack into 16 equal strips up to the edge of the scored circle. Working with two strips at a time, twist the strips in opposite directions, then pinch the ends together. Repeat all the way around to make an eight-pointed star.
Cover and leave to prove for 1 hr until puffed up, then bake for 25-35 minutes until risen, firm and golden.
