Pumpkin Bread

If you don't go pumpkin mad now then there is a chance "the crazy wind" won't get you. As for me I have been blown away by a pumpkin craze. I even make my pumpkin bread shaped like one.

Pay attention this is the scientific bit: the pumpkin puree replaces most of the liquid in this recipe. This results in a flavoursome, moist loaf
Ingredients
350g Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
25g butter
1 small onion finely chopped
15g Fresh yeast (or dried yeast according to the packet instruction)
1 tsp Unrefined brown sugar
450g wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
Egg for glaze
Method
Steam the pumpkin for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain and reserve 50ml of the cooking liquid. Puree in a liquidizer.
Melt the butter and saute the onion until transparent.
Mix the yeast, reserved cooking liquid and sugar together and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy.
Combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast liquid, pumpkin puree and onion and mix to a soft dough. Knead for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Cut off a small piece of dough (about 25g)
Shape the remaining dough into a neat round and place on an oiled baking tray. Shape the mall portion of dough into a 5 cm squashed ball and press on to the center of the round.
Cover with oiled polythene and leave in a warm place until double in size- about 45 minutes
With a sharp knife, make cuts in the dough all the way round to resemble a pumpkin.
Brush the dough with egg glaze and bake at 220C/gas mark 7 for 35-40 minutes. Cool on a wire tray.
Serve with a lovely Pumpkin soup and shrimps
Make one loaf- recipe from Cranks Breads & Teacakes