Saturday, 13 October 2012

A Tale of Two Pumpkin Yeast Breads

This is a tale of two loaves of Pumpkin Yeast Bread. These twin loaves from different flours began with the same list of ingredients, but took on a different life when the flour was added. One loaf was made with all-purpose white flour; while the other loaf was made with the ancient grain Einkorn.

The first loaf turned out really fine, dressed in yellow and looking so divine with a beautiful egg wash finish. The flavor was delightful!  The slices tasted great plain, as a sandwich, or toasted and spread with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

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The 2nd loaf, made with 80% extraction Einkorn flour, was lovely in it’s own right.  It was clothed in yellow as well, but the deep golden brown crust was brushed with olive oil to provide a beautiful sheen. The flavor of this bread was light, rich, and somewhat nutty. It also tasted great plain, or with peanuts. I mean, as a sandwich or toast.

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Both of these loaves taste so good, they are hard to resist. My youngest son was home from college this weekend so he taste-tested both of them and liked them equally well. He did say he thought the one with all-purpose was a little bit moister and the crust on the Einkorn was different, a bit nuttier. I think I baked the Einkorn loaf a wee bit longer so that would make sense if it wasn’t quite as moist.

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The recipe below is the adapted recipe using Einkorn flour, olive oil and added cinnamon.  If you want to make the loaf using regular wheat flour, just substitute all-purpose flour for the Einkorn. You’ll probably use about 1/2 cup less all-purpose than you do Einkorn flour. 

Note: This is a very sticky dough with either flour, but particularly with the Einkorn flour.

 

Einkorn Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-yeast-bread-recipe which was reprinted from the Baker’s Sheet Newsletter.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup warm milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup puréed pumpkin, either fresh or canned
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 1/2 – 4 cups Einkorn flour, plus more for sprinkling (I used 80% extraction Einkorn flour from Jovial Foods)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Directions:

1) Mixing the Dough

In a large bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: water, milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil. 

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In a medium bowl, combine the 3 cups of Einkorn flour, brown sugar, salt, instant yeast, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon.

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Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

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Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

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2) Proofing the Dough (Bulk Fermentation)

Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

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3) Shaping and Proofing the Loaf

Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Shape dough into a loaf and place in well-greased 9 x 5-inch pan. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

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4) Baking the Loaf

Bake the loaf in a preheated 375°F oven about 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; a reading of 190°F means loaf is done.

 

5) Cooling the Loaf

Immediately remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack to prevent crust from becoming soggy. For a shiny crust, brush tops lightly with oil.  I brushed the one of the right with an egg wash before baking and the one on the left I baked, then brushed with olive oil.

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This is the loaf made with all-purpose flour and brushed with an egg wash.

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This is the loaf made with 80% extraction Einkorn flour and brushed with oil.  It actually rose a little higher than the loaf made with all-purpose flour.  This surprised me; however, I think I may have been a bit heavy-handed with the egg wash which made the first loaf collapse just a bit.

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6) Slice and Enjoy the Loaf

Here is the beautiful Einkorn loaf sliced and ready to eat.

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I’m sending some of this bread back to school with my son if there is any left. I told him I would give him the loaf made with the all-purpose flour so he’s been eating the loaf made with Einkorn so he would have more to take back.

 

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view the weekly roundups of lovely breads from bread bakers around the globe.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

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