I am harking in the Fall with a decadently rich (I always inwardly cringe at the amount of butter that goes into brioche, but somehow, once it’s baked, it always seems well worth it) bread enhanced with sweet hints of pumpkin and my personal blend of pumpkin spice – freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and coriander (weird, I know, but I think it really lends to the earthiness of the pumpkin).  Since this is my first time using a stand mixture for my bread making this recipe is pretty experimental, and loosely adapted from the basic brioche recipe found in Joanne Chang’s Flour.

Pumpkin Brioche

This recipe makes two loaves, and requires proofing overnight.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached Flour
• 2 1/2 cups Bread Flour
• 4 tsp active dry Yeast
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp fresh grated Nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground Coriander Seeds
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 2 cups Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup Water
• 5 Eggs + 1 Egg
• 1 cup and 2 tbsp Butter (2 1/4 Sticks) (room temperature)

Directions:

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and give them a light stir.
2. In your stand mixture bowl, with a dough hook attachment, on low speed combine the 5 eggs, water, and pumpkin.
3. Scoop in the dry ingredients about 1/2 a cup at a time, and continue to mix at a low speed until they are all combined.
4. Once the ingredients have combined (make sure to check down the sides of the bowl with a spatula) continue to mix them at low speed for 3-4 minutes.
5. Gradually, add the butter into the mixing bowl 2 tbsp at a time.
6. Once the butter has been combined with the rest of the ingredients, continue to mix the dough at a low speed for about 10 minutes.  It should transform from slightly rough to shiny.
7. Up the speed of your mixture slightly, to a medium speed, and continue to mix for 15 minutes.  At the end of this your dough should appear silky and smooth.
8. Up the speed slightly until your dough begins to slap the sides of the bowl.  At this time, you should also test the stretchiness of your dough.
9. Place your dough in a lightly greased container in the refrigerator overnight.  I had to half my dough into two containers since I did not have a container big enough.  You could also use a bowl with plastic wrap.
10. Remove your dough from the refrigerator, and form it into two loaves.  I formed my loaves by rolling the dough into a large log and then twisting it in half, but you can also form them into a basic loaf.
11. Place the loaves into well greased 9″x5″ loaf pans.
12. Allow the dough to proof for another 4-5 hours.  They should double in size, and be light and puffy.
13. Preheat your oven to 350 F (177 C).
14. Use the remaining egg to create an egg wash, and brush the tops of your loaves with it.
15. Bake for 35-45 minutes.