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Hensperger's Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Hensperger's Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread

Here's a pic of some Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread from Beth Hensperger's Bread for All Seasons:

Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread

Judging from the oven spring, I ought to have let them proof a bit longer.  No crumb pics now; these are cooling their heels in the freezer in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day.

Paul

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

combo sounds great. Let us know what you thought of the flavor..OK? Happy Thanksgiving!

Betty

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Betty,

It's a wonderful thing.  I've made this previously and liked it a lot.  Granted, I haven't sampled this batch yet but I expect it will be every bit as good.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Paul

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

I just ordered and received Leader's "Local Breads". I've made Hensperger's Oatmeal Bulghur, which I love. Does she have only one book, "Bread Bible"?

Betty

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Well, I have these books by Ms. Hensperger:

- The Bread Bible

- Bread for All Seasons

- Breads of the Southwest

A scan of Amazon shows at least 20 different titles by Ms. Hensperger, though not all are about bread.  While I like many of her breads, there are other cookbook authors whom I like better.  Not sure why, exactly; probably just a matter of personal tastes.

Paul

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

It not, I understand. Which book does it come from?

Betty

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Beth Hensperger's Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread from Bread for All Seasons

Ingredients

1.5 Tablespoons (1.5 packages) active dry yeast (I used instant yeast)

Pinch of sugar

1 cup warm water (105-115F)

1 cup warm buttermilk (105-115F)

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)

1/3 molasses (the recipe calls for light molasses, I had dark; it works fine)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

1 Tablespoon salt

1 cup fine- or medium-grind cornmeal

1 cup medium rye flour (I had whole rye flour; it works fine)

4.25 to 4.75 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour

Process

1. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water in a small bowl; stir to dissolve.  Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.  (Since I used instant yeast, I skipped this step.  Instead, I mixed the yeast with the flour and added the water and sugar with the other wet ingredients.)

2. In a large bowl, combine the warm buttermilk, melted butter or oil, molasses, pumpkin puree, salt, cornmeal and rye flour.  (This can be mixed by hand with a whisk, or with the flat paddle attachment in an electric mixer.)  Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add the unbleached flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl.  If mixing by hand, you will probably want to switch from the whisk to a wooden spoon as you add the unbleached flour.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until springy yet slightly tacky and smooth, about 3 minutes.  Don't go overboard with the flour while kneading; only add 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking.  Place in a greased or oiled bowl, turn once to coat the top, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, maybe 1.5 to 2 hours.

4. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and divide into 2 equal portions.  Form into tight rounds.  Place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size; maybe 45 to 60 minutes.

5. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375F, with a baking stone if desired.

6. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 40-45 minutes.  Remove to a rack to cool completely.

I let the loaves rise on parchment, then baked them directly on the stone without a baking sheet.  It also took an extra 5-8 minutes before the internal temperature of the loaves topped 190F.  I was concerned that taking them out earlier might leave them slightly underbaked.

If memory serves, this is not only delicious with butter (or pumpkin butter), it also toasts very nicely.

Pau

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

I have bookmarked this to make when we get back from vacation. I really appreciate your taking the time to type this up for me. Most kind of you!

Betty