This is the perfect bread to create a sandwich from that leftover turkey and a bit of Cranberry-Apricot Sauce (Turkey & Cranberry Panini). Toast it for a quick breakfast with a little peanut or almond butter. The pumpkin flavor is mild, and the color is beautiful. It also makes great dinner rolls! Mix it up in a stand mixer, or by hand; this recipe is easy to make. (If you have a bread machine, mix the dough up in it on the "dough cycle". I have given instructions for mixing with a stand mixer or by hand.) A great holiday or any day bread. As always, weighing ingredients is best for baked goods! (Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe.)
Equipment needed: Stand Mixer 9X5-inch Bread Pan(s) Large Mixing Bowl
2 Tablespoons instant dry yeast
4 ounces lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
12 ounces pureed pumpkin, canned or fresh
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
27 1/2 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 cup)
3 3/4 ounces brown sugar (1/2 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl and mix to make a smooth, soft dough.
Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Weigh the dough, and divide into equal halves.
Shape each half into a loaf, or shape into one loaf and 12 rolls, or shape into 24 rolls (weigh the dough and divide into 24 equal pieces). Place the dough, however it is shaped, into the appropriate lightly greased bread pan(s) or 9-inch cake pan(s).
Cover the pans and let the loaves/rolls rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. When the dough is almost doubled, preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown, and a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers about 190-degrees. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and turn it out onto a rack to cool. After completely cooled, wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature for several days. To store longer, freeze in air-tight packaging.