Yeasted Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

The original recipe calls for an overnight chill, but I skipped it and just proceeded to shaping the loaves after the first rise. The results were great, so if you're wanting to speed up this bread, I think it's safe to say you can skip the chill.

ingredients

2 2/3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. tepid water (80-90 degrees)
2 tsp. active or instant dry yeast
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
1/3 cup sugar
8 ounces (1 cup) pureed cooked pumpkin or butternut squash, fresh or canned solid packed
1 large egg, at room temp
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted (or walnuts, if you prefer)
1 cup plump golden or dark raisins
2/3 cup fresh cranberries (if frozen, thaw and pat dry)

method

Whisk 2 2/3 cups of the flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl just to mix; set aside until needed.

Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk to blend. Allow the yeast to rest until it’s creamy, about 5 minutes.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the pumpkin and egg and beat until blended. Don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled; it will come together when you add the dry ingredients.

Set the mixer speed to low and add the yeast, then begin to add the dry ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time. As soon as the mixture starts to form a dough that comes together, scrape the paddle clean and switch to the dough hook. If your dough does not come together (it might be because your pumpkin puree was liquidy), add a few more Tbsp. of flour.

Mix and need the dough on medium-low speed for 10-15 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and the hook now and then with a rubber spatula. At the start, the mixture will look more like a batter than a dough, but as you continue to work, it will develop into a soft sticky dough that will just ball up on the hook. (This dough develops much the way brioche does.)

With the machine on low speed, add the pecans and raisins, mixing only until incorporated, about 1 min. Add the cranberries and mix as little as possible to avoid crushing them. (Inevitably, some of the cranberries will pop and stain a patch of the dough red. think of this as charming, and proceed.)

First Rise: Scrape the dough into a lightly buttered large bowl, Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temp to rise until nearly doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Chilling the Dough: When the dough has doubled, fold it over on itself a couple of times to deflate it, wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate in the bowl over night. (Can be skipped if you're in a hurry).

Shaping the dough: At least 6 hours before you want to begin baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Leave the dough, covered in its bowl, until it reaches at least 64 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. (This will take as long as 3 or 4 hours- don’t rush it.) If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, look for the dough to be slightly cool and just a little spongy. Lightly butter two 8 x 4" bread loaf pans (or alternately, one 9 x 5 loaf pan, for a large loaf).

Working on a lightly floured surface, dived the dough into two pieces and pat each piece of dough into a 5 x 7" rectangle; keep a short end facing you. Starting at the top of each rectangle, roll the dough toward you and seal the seam by pressing it with your fingertips. Seal the ends, then place each roll, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Push any exposed fruit on the top of the loaf gently into the loaf so it is covered with dough, otherwise it will burn while cooking and be bitter.

Second Rise: Cover the pans lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temp for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until the dough has nearly doubled – it will rise just above the rims of the pans (mine barely got there did just rise above the height of the pan in the centre).

Baking the bread: Centre a rack in the oven and preheat to 350° F. Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes, or until deeply golden. Remove the pans to a cooling rack; after a 5-minute rest, turn the breads out of their pans and allow them to cool to room temp on the rack.

Storing: The breads can be kept at room temp for a day or two or frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temp.

Note: If using fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, split the squash, remove the seeds, and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 350° F. oven for about an hour, or until tender. Scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and cool completely. One pound of squash yields about 12 ounces of cooked pulp.

Adapted from a Steve Sullivan in "Baking with Julia"