This hearty and nutritious Pumpkin-Nickel bread is a creative twist on traditional pumpernickel (which technically is made with a type of German rye flour that is used either exclusively, or in greater proportion than bread flour). My awesome dad pun “Pumpkin-Nickel” was inspired by my son’s ingenious idea to infuse pumpkin puree into my rye bread. You could use 100% rye flour but in this recipe I used mostly rye flour with some bread flour and whole wheat flour to enhance the flavor and texture.
This isn’t a pumpkin-spiced bread—it’s a deliciously robust pumpkin-infused rye bread that’s sure to become a favorite in your household. Now, it’s one of his all-time favorite breads! (Truth be told, he now always demands it in ciabatta form so I’ll be posting that recipe too one of these days!)
Baked in a loaf pan, this recipe provides convenience and is perfect for heavy deli sandwiches with that need for sturdy sandwich bread. It’s also amazing simply toasted with some butter. One of my absolute favs was having it topped with a mix of butter, Marmite, and honey.
Yield:
Around 12 slices
Items Needed:
- Small pan (for toasting spices)
- Mortar and pestle (for crushing spices)
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen scale (recommended for accurate measurements)
- Damp cloth
- Bench scraper
- Parchment paper
- 9″ loaf pan (or similar)
- Digital baking thermometer
- Wire rack
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp dill seeds
- Optional: ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds
- 250g water (1 cup)
- 250g pureed pumpkin (1 cup)
- 200g active levain (¾ cup) (taken from a mix of 50g sourdough starter, 100g water, 100g flour)
- 2 TBSP molasses (40g)
- 275g coarse dark rye flour (2 ¼ cups)
- 50g whole wheat flour (or sub with bread/AP flour) (½ cup)
- 180g bread flour (1 ½ cups)
- 15g salt (2.5 tsp)
- 1tsp olive oil, avocado or sunflower oil to coat the load pan
Instructions:
1. Preparing the Levain:
- About 6 hours before you plan to mix your dough, feed your starter with 125g water and 125g flour to use 200g starter later. Alternately, in a separate container create a levain by combining 50g starter with 100g flour and 100g water. Cover and keep the starter or levain in a room temperature location. and make sure it is active and roughly doubled before using.
2. Toasting the Spices:
- In a small pan, toast the caraway seeds, dill seeds, and optional cumin seeds over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Transfer the toasted spices to a mortar and pestle and coarsely crush them.
3. Mixing the Dough:
- In a large bowl, combine the water, pureed pumpkin, levain or very active starter, and molasses. Stir until well mixed.
- Add the rye flour, whole wheat flour (optional), bread flour, salt, and toasted spices. Mix until all ingredients are combined. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.
- Cover the bowl with a damp cloth to prevent surface drying.
4. First Stretch and Folds:
- Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
- Perform the first set of stretch and folds:
- Wet your hands to prevent sticking.
- Grab a portion of the dough from the edge, stretch it up, and fold it towards the center.
- Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process. Do this 4 times, rotating the bowl after each fold.
- Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth during the rest periods between folds.
5. Additional Stretch and Folds with Coil Folds:
- Repeat the stretch and folds every 30 minutes for a total of 4 sets (approximately 2 hours).
- After each set, incorporate a coil fold by gently lifting the dough from the center, allowing it to fold under itself, forming a coil shape underneath. Ensure your hands are always quite wet during this process to prevent sticking.
6. Primary Fermentation:
- After the final set of folds, keep the bowl covered with a damp towel.
- Let the dough rise until it has nearly doubled in size, approximately 3-4 more hours, depending on the ambient temperature.
7. Shaping and Secondary Fermentation:
- Flour your work surface and gently turn the dough out onto it. Let it rest for 10 minutes. If the dough is sticking too much, work in more flour (don’t go overboard) under the dough using a bench scraper.
- Place the shaped dough seam-side down in an oiled 9″x4″ loaf pan. Cover with a dry towel and let it rise until the top of the dough reaches the surface of the loaf pan, approximately 2-4 hours, or until it passes the poke test (when gently poked, the dough springs back slowly).
Cold Proof/Retard Option: After shaping the dough into a loaf and placing it in an oiled 9″x4″ loaf pan, you can choose to cold proof the dough. Cover the pan with a dry towel and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to cold ferment for 12-24 hours. This extended fermentation time enhances the flavor and texture of the bread. Monitor the dough closely to avoid over-proofing. Proceed with the baking instructions.
8. Preheating the Oven:
- About 1 hour before baking, preheat your oven to 475°F.
9. Baking:
- When ready to bake, carefully transfer the loaf pan with the dough into the preheated oven.
- Reduce heat to 450°F (230°C) and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the bread has a deep brown crust and an internal temperature of 205-210°F (96-99°C), measured with a digital baking thermometer.
10. Cooling:
- Turn off the oven but allow the bread to sit for up to 30 minutes with the door open.
- Transfer the bread to an elevated wire rack. Let it cool completely, overnight or up to 24 hours to fully cure. This extended curing time allows the bread to develop its full flavor and makes it easier to slice without squishing.
