Chelsea Lytle

    Since pumpkin season is now well underway, I felt it would be appropriate to make something with my favourite squash. As delicious as “pumpkin bread” is, it’s not a typical bread—it’s a sweet loaf. This bread was inspired in part by my love of pumpkins, but also by my holiday leftovers. What better use for your leftover turkey, ham, or cranberry sauce than to put them on some good old savory pumpkin bread? This bread is very dense, but it makes for great toast.

Ingredients

3 c. flour

3 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 pack of active dry yeast

1 tbsp. salt

1 egg

4 tbsp. warm water (90F, or microwave for 30 seconds on high)

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 pack of finely chopped fresh sage

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast with warm water and one tablespoon of sugar.

2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, olive oil, pumpkin, and the remainder of the sugar. Add cloves, nutmeg, and sage to taste.

3. Add the yeast mixture and knead for five minutes.

4. Warm the oven on low heat for one minute and then turn it off. Let the dough sit in the warm oven for 15 minutes.

5. Add salt and knead for another five minutes.

6. Let the bread rise in the warm oven for an hour. It’s a dense bread, so this is helpful for getting it to rise properly.

7. Take the dough out and form it into a ball, oval, baguette, or whatever fun shape you like. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper or greased pan, loosely cover again and let rise for another 30 minutes.

8. Heat the oven to 400F.

9. Cut the top of the loaf once or twice with a sharp knife before putting it in the oven.

10. Bake for 40 minutes.

11. Enjoy your homemade bread.