Braided Pumpkin Brioche for World Bread Day

Today is World Bread Day. The day for bread bakers around the world to showcase their breads and celebrate the staff of life.

Zorra of kochtopf started the event for bloggers in 2006 and each year, hundreds of bloggers from all around the world bake bread for this special day. This year, Zorra has a special wish to see a huge basket filled with at least 365 breads from all over the world. 

I’m doing my part by submitting this Braided Pumpkin Brioche for the 8th World Bread Day. What are you baking?

 

I saw the formula for this Pumpkin Brioche on the San Francisco Baking Institute’s site and knew I had to try it. I’ve been thinking about it for several weeks and waiting for the perfect opportunity to make it.

The main reason I wanted to make this bread is because it’s a great bread for Autumn. I’ve always loved making pumpkin bread. For me, pumpkin bread is the ultimate comfort food for Fall and when you combine that with a buttery smooth brioche, you get an awesome treat.

The other reason I was interested in this particular bread is that the formula is in pounds instead of grams or ounces. This was an opportunity to try something different since I hadn’t yet worked with a formula that presented all of the weights in pounds.  

I didn’t think this would be a big issue since my scales have settings for grams, ounces and pounds, but I’ve gotten so used to working in grams and ounces that I kept forgetting to change the setting on my scales. I ended up adding a good bit more flour so I think I need more practice.

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To make the dough for this Pumpkin Brioche, click here to download the formula from the SFBI site.

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I made the dough exactly by the formula (or so I thought), but as I mentioned earlier, I ended up using a good bit more flour than 3 1/4 cups (.867 lbs) because the dough was really sticky.  It was still tacky but workable after adding the additional flour.

My scales don’t go low enough to measure .002 lbs of cinnamon and .001 lbs of the other spices so I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger and ground cloves. I think some new baking scales are in order, but for this experiment, the teaspoon measurements worked fine.  The spices provided a warm and comforting flavor without overpowering the bread.

I’m so glad I chose to make this bread this past weekend because my favorite taste testers (aka my sons) were home. I had a good bit of dough (about 3 pounds) so I was able to use some of the dough to make rolls for dinner (which I served with roast chicken) and the rest for the braided loaf.

 

How to Make Pumpkin Brioche Dinner Rolls:

To make the brioche rolls, I divided the dough in half and weighed out about 2 ounces of dough for each roll. I rolled each ball tightly and let them proof for about 30 minutes before baking.

 

Once the rolls were baked, I brushed them with melted butter. They were delightful. My taste testers really enjoyed them. My oldest son loves rolls and he took a bite and said, “oh, these are good!” 

 

I put the remaining dough in the refrigerator overnight and made the braided loaf the next day. Since I had a good bit of dough left, I was able to make a 4-strand braid.

 

How to make a 4-Strand Braided Pumpkin Brioche Loaf:

Divide the dough into 4 equal balls (by weight).

 

Roll each ball out to a strand of equal length.

 

Connect the strands at one end and spread the other ends out with the tips facing you.

 

Number the strands 1, 2, 3, 4 from the left.  Follow the pattern: 4 over 2, 1 over 3, and 2 over 3.  Repeat until you reach the ends of the strands, then pinch the tips together to seal.  Transfer the braid to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let it proof for 30 to 45 minutes.

 

Right before baking, brush the braid with egg white and sprinkle with raw sugar.  I added some pumpkin seeds for added affect.

 

Let the braid cool on a wire rack before slicing.  Then slice and enjoy.

This bread tastes great plain, but it also makes great cinnamon toast.  I think it would also make awesome French Toast.  I’ll have to try that next.

 

I enjoyed participating in the 2013 World Bread Day. 

 

Every day is bread day as far as I’m concerned, but there’s something special about bakers around the world celebrating it on the same day.

Happy World Bread Day!

Cathy

 

I’m also sharing these loaves with:

BYOB - Il Cestino del Pane

Crusty Cornstalk Rolls for World Bread Day #5

I chose Crusty Cornstalk Rolls for my submission to the 5th Edition of World Bread Day.  World Bread Day is hosted by Zorra of http://kochtopf.twoday.net. 

I wanted to make something different for this event. I had seen this bread last year in Gourmet Magazine and decided now was the time to make it.  It reminds me of an Epi, but it is a cornstalk rather than a wheat stalk and includes some cornmeal.  The bread is supposed to resemble a cornstalk, where each roll, or “ear of corn” is torn off the stalk and eaten as you would a roll.

 

As I mentioned in my Buttermilk Cornbread at the Mill post, I got some delicious freshly ground cornmeal when I visited the beautiful Old Mill at the Berry College Campus in Rome, Georgia. I’ve been looking for opportunities to use this cornmeal in breads other than cornbread.

 

Crusty Cornstalk Rolls

Makes: About 1 dozen rolls
Source: Gourmet Magazine, February 2009 Issue

These rolls have the hearty exterior of a French baguette, plus a yeasty, slightly chewy interior.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F), divided
1 teaspoon mild honey or sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons stone-ground yellow cornmeal, divided

 

Directions:

Stir together yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Mix flour, salt, 1/2 cup cornmeal, and remaining cup warm water into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Form dough into a ball. Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough (do not knead).

Fold into thirds like a letter (dough will be soft),

Then gently roll into a 12-inch-long log with lightly floured hands.

Sprinkle a large baking sheet evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons cornmeal and put dough diagonally in center. Alternating sides, make 3-inch-long diagonal cuts, about 1 1/2 inches apart, into sides of log using kitchen shears (ends of cuts should not touch; maintain a center “stalk”). 

Gently pull apart cuts to stretch dough, forming rolls that are separate (about 1 1/2 inches apart) but connected to the stalk.

Cover with a kitchen towel (or plastic wrap).  Let it rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in the middle and a baking stone if using. Spray rolls with water, then bake, spraying into oven 3 times in the first 5 minutes of baking (to help form a crust), until golden, about 20 minutes.

Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.

Rolls are best the day they are made, but whole baked stalk can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

Perfect bread for harvest time don’t you think?

I only made one stalk as the directions instructed, but if I make these rolls again, I will probably cut the dough into two pieces and make two stalks rather than one.  First of all, I think it would look more like a stalk and secondly, it would be easier to handle.  This stalk is a little heavy in the middle and could break really easily.  With that said, this was a fun and not too complicated loaf to make and I enjoyed it.

Be sure to check out Zorra’s site for the roundup of breads submitted for World Bread Day. Click on graphic below to get to her site.