In some parts of the world, it’s pumpkin season. Halloween is around the corner, folks are enjoying their Fall treats, maybe while carving faces into pumpkins and such. No such thing here in Malaysia, but it doesn’t stop us from enjoying our pumpkins in any shape or form.
I received some really gorgeous pumpkins from Li Ting the other day, proudly grown in her family home in Bukit Tinggi. I had enough to make a batch of my pumpkin soup, but I figured I’d try something different this time. I was still stumped on what to do when I found this recipe by cook cafemaru for pumpkin bread, and it looked so yummy I had to try it.
I’ve modified the recipe for the breadmaker, using my Kenwood BM450. Mummy also needed to start on a low-potassium diet, so I’ve also added steps on what you can do to make this recipe more kidney-friendly. Pumpkins are a high potassium food, but they are also rich in beta carotenes and other good stuff, and can still be enjoyed by Mummy in small amounts. So this bread should do the trick 🙂
I decided to bake the pumpkins in the airfryer at a higher temperature to brown it a little. This gives the pumpkin a rich, more complex flavor which I thought went well with the bread. If you prefer just to cook the pumpkin until tender, you can go with 30 to 35 minutes in the airfryer or oven at 120 degrees.
The dough may be a bit sticky and tricky to handle, but lightly grease your hands with oil and you should be okay. The result is a soft, fluffy and absolutely gorgeous bread, which looks great on the table for your fancy dinners, and of course tastes great as well. Give it a try!
Breadmaker Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 280 grams pumpkin, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 ml full cream milk
- 50 ml water
- 430 grams bread flour
- 50 grams brown sugar
- 6 grams (1 1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 6 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 40 grams unsalted butter, softened
Directions
If preparing a low potassium version, soak the pumpkins in warm water, at least 2 hours.
In your airfryer basket or a baking tray, add the pumpkins and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in airfryer or oven at 180 degrees C, until tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
Mash 150 grams of the roasted pumpkins, and set aside for adding to the dough.
In your bread maker pan, add the milk and water.
Add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
Transfer the pan to the breadmaker, and start the Dough program.
About 10 minutes into the kneading cycle, add the mashed pumpkins.
After the pumpkin has been incorporated, after around 10 minutes of kneading, add the butter.
Let the Dough program run until completion, and the dough has doubled in size. On the Kenwood BM450, this will take 1 hour 30 minutes from start to finish.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled or flour-dusted surface.
Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces.
Shape each piece of dough into a ball.
Arrange the rolls along the sides of a greased 9-inch round pan. You may need to squeeze the rolls a little, arranging it this way will create a pumpkin-shaped bread.
Cover and let rise, until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 190 degrees C (fan 170 degrees C).
Place a few cashew nuts in the center, to create a ‘stem’ for your pumpkin. You can also do this step last.
Place the tray on the lower rung of the oven and bake for 14 minutes, then lower the temperature to 170 degrees (150 degrees C) and bake, another 12 minutes.
Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
