Pumpkin Spice Swirl Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Swirl

from Victoria Pearson's Bread For All Seasons

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
Pinch of granulated sugar or granulated maple sugar
1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
1 cup warm buttermilk (105° to 115°)
1 cup pumpkin purée, homemade or canned
3 tablespoons granulated sugar or granulated maple sugar
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 egg
Grated zest of 2 oranges
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/4 to 6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour

Sweet Spice Streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Spiced Cinnamon Sugar:

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
Yields Two 9-by-5 inch loaves

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found in
Victoria Pearson's
Bread For All Seasons
from Chronicle Books

Recognized as one of the basic foods of colonial America, pumpkins can be put away in a cool, dark space until needed for winter sustenance, or sliced and dried for even longer storage. Bread made with it is particularly delicious toasted for breakfast. This recipe may also be used to make a dozen beautiful cinnamon rolls, if desired.

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl with a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm buttermilk, pumpkin purée, the 3 tablespoons sugar, oil, egg, orange zest, salt, and 2 cups of the unbleached flout Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1 cup more of the flout Beat 1 minute longer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl, switching to a wooden spoon as necessary if making by hand.

3. Turn out the dough onto alightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 3 minutes, adding only 1 tablespoon flour at a time as necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a greased deep container, turn once to coat the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet spice streusel. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter pieces until coarse crumbs are formed. Alternatively, use a food processor to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

5. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll or pat each portion into a thick rectangle about 8 by 12 inches. To make the spiced cinnamon sugar, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and spices. Brush the surface of each rectangle lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Starting from a narrow end, roll up jelly-roll fashion to form a fat loaf shape. Pinch all the seams together to seal completely. Place each loaf, seam side down, in a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until 1 inch above the rims of the pans, about 1 1/4 hours. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°.

6. Sprinkle the top of each loaf heavily with half of the sweet spice streusel. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the loaves are golden brown, sound hollow when tapped, and a cake tester inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the pans to a rack to cool completely before slicing.