PUMPKIN BREAD WITH ROASTED ONIONS
A fine way to use pumpkin in the fall is to make bread out of it. Well, even though you don't need that much pumpkin for this bread, it is still a nice variation on an otherwise standard bread making procedure. And it makes you moody about the autumn season (at least my family feels this way!). Pumpkin bread is nice when it's warm, maybe with some autumn-inspired soups?
1 bread loaf:
1 tbsp butter
100 g pumpkin, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced and roasted (cook it in olive oil on moderate heat until well browned)
15 g/0.5 oz. fresh yeast
30 mL/1 fl oz water
150 g/5 oz. wholewheat flour
150 g/5 oz. white bread flour (strong flour)
100 g/3 oz. sourdough or fermenté (see HOW TO)
2 tsp salt
Make pumpkin purée first by cooking the pumpkin in butter together with carrot slices in butter on moderate heat, until soft. Then mix in a blender to a purée. Also make the roasted onion. Let it all cool down before you start mixing it with yeast!
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Mix flour, sourdough, onions, and purée in a bowl. Add the yeast-water mix and work into a dough, and knead it until it becomes elastic, about 4-5 minutes. Then add salt and knead for another minute to dissolve the salt. Then let the dough grow under a towel until it is risen by at least half its original size. Then knock it back and refold it, shape into a loaf and place on a baking tray with a baking paper. Cover with a towel and let it rise again. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230 C/450 F, or to a temperature that you know will suit your oven to your bread (it's different in different ovens). When the dough has risen by about two-thirds, bake it in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until the bread is browned and sounds hollow when you knock it on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack. More tips on bread baking can be found in our HOW TO guide.