November 14, 2009

Pumpkin Pie Brioche with a Twist


In my first post, I told you about the new book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  Soon after the release of the book, I found out about and joined an online book club to bake through that new book together.  We're called HBin5 (an obvious abbreviation of the book's name), and this week is our first "bread braid" or in other words, the first challenge in our bake-along.  Our breads don't have to be braided as the name may suggest, just that we are braided together as we bake through the wonderful recipes of this book. 

Pumpkin Pie Brioche is our first recipe, and it's been kindly provided by Zoe to Michelle our group coordinator over at Big Black Dog where you'll find all the dough details.  I made the dough as directed by Zoe, except I doubled the spices and used real maple syrup instead of the honey called for.  This recipe is 40% whole wheat, so it's packed with fiber.  Much fiber is also provided by the pumpkin which is a great source of beta-carotene, iron, and potassium.  A little fact I discovered a while back is that, by weight, both pumpkin and sesame seeds have more iron than liver does, so I decided to sneak the seeds in my recipe, therefore in my family's diet.

So I whipped up a batch of dough in about 15 minutes, and I'm not kidding.  It took me longer to pull the ingredients out of my pantry than it did to mix it, which I did with a wooden spoon and clean hands.  I refrigerated the dough overnight.  Then I used half of it to make a Pumpkin Twist, which is my version of a Pumpkin Roll.  This is a dessert you can feel good about serving this Thanksgiving or any time of the year.


I pulled a 2-pound dough ball from my bucket - about half the batch.  I divided it in two portions, and rolled one out to about a 12-in. x 7-in. rectangle.
I made a Cream Cheese Filling by beating the following ingredients until smooth:
4      ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/4   cup sugar
1/4   cup flour
1/4   teaspoon ground nutmeg

I spread half the filling over the dough to about 1-in. of the edges.  I rolled the dough up jelly roll style, starting with a long side, then I pinched the seams to seal.  I repeated with the remaining dough then placed both logs seam side down on a parchment covered baking sheet.  To form the twists, I used a sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise, leaving one end intact.  Carefully, I turned cut sides up and loosely twisted strips around each other, keeping cut side up.  I pinched ends to seal and covered loosely with plastic wrap to let them rise for about 90 minutes.  Once ready, I sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and pumpkin seeds, then baked at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. 

Oh!, I almost forgot to tell you that I also drizzled the cool twists with icing made of 1 cup of confectioners' sugar combined with enough milk to be of drizzling consistency!  A delicious treat I guarantee you'll enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.  I know I did.

As for the remainder of the batch, I split that in two portions and made Mini Pumpkin Brioche Bundt Cakes with one half



and Mini Brioche Loaves with the other. I hope you'll find the photos self explanatory.


21 comments:

  1. Great job on all of your variations! I especially love the twist!

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  2. OMG...what a fabulous idea to "twist" the dough. I LOVE IT and I'm copying your post for future reference. Plus your dizzle is wonderful!

    Love the mini brioche pan and I've thought about buying one of these for a long time. Now it's on my Christmas List!

    Gorgeous breads and wonderful post! Thanks so much for all the ideas.

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  3. Love the twist with the cream cheese filling. What a terrific idea!

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  4. That twist looks so yummy! I may have to try figuring that out for the other half of my dough.
    ~Jenny~

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  5. Wow! Thank you for sharing the recipe for your twist bread. It sounds excellent and what a great way to use the brioche dough. Your photos are delightful too!

    ~Susan

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  6. I LOVE the twist! I bet that was one delicious loaf! I'm remembering that for future use! :)

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  7. Gorgeous-looking breads, esp the twist. I love that this recipe makes enough for us to try several versions.

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  8. Oh my gosh, these look amazing! I love the twist idea as well as the mini bundt cakes. I am SO buying a mini bundt pan just to make these. Delicious. Although I love anything with a cream cheese filling.

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  9. Everything is so beautiful!! I love the cream cheese loaf with the icing on top, what a pretty and festive treat!

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  10. Um, WOW!! I was so happy with myself for making a regular old loaf....and here you are all gorgeous and impressive. Everything looks amazing :D

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  11. That's a beautiful twist! What a great idea! The mini bundt cakes look fabulous as well. Very creative!

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  12. Thank you all for the encouraging feedback!

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  13. Very creative! Love the twists - you're right, they sound great with a cup of coffee - a healthier breakfast pastry.

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  14. LOve, love, love your twiest. I'm definately going to try that in the near future. It's beautiful.

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  15. Are you a pro! I am a novice at bread baking. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Great pictures for us.

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  16. GA Jane,
    Not a pro at all... First time blogger actually. Thanks so much for the complement! Things don't always turn out that good in my kitchen.

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  17. Oh my, that twist looks delish! I'll definitely be bookmarking this for the next time I do this dough. It would be lovely for Xmas morning!

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  18. Your twist looks so inviting, I have some dough in my fridge that needs a home- I think I know exactly what to do with it. Thanks!

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  19. That is one of the prettiest breads I have seen i a long time. What a great 'twist' on this bread.

    Have to add to me to bake list. Now!!

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