Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread #BreadBakers

This yeasted, whole wheat bread is filled with Autumnal spices, pureed pumpkin and handfuls of the fruit and nuts. They are perfect for toast or teatime spread with jam, honey or butter!

Holy creeholy it has been ages since I've been able to participate in a #BreadBakers event! The "Quarantine 15" was definitely felt around here, leading to a break from the bread-filled fridges and freezers we usually have. Thankfully, we are all back on track, and I have been allowed to start baking my beloved yeast breads again! 

This loaf is my first "hurrah to fall" type of bake, leading up to a season of apples, cranberries and pumpkins even though I still have one last zucchini to use up! I was on a "warming spice" kick from the gingersnaps and Chestnut Gingerbread dough I had made earlier in the week, and when I found a can of pumpkin in the pantry (which I believe we bought for the cat and/or rats to eat) I usurped it and decided to use it as my jumping-off point. Unlike most pumpkin loaves you see, this one is yeasted, but it is still full of all the traditional flavours and add-ins like pecans and dried cranberries! I used soy milk (as always) for the yeast development, and while I should have let the loaves rise a bit more (I had to jockey the oven with dinner) the crumb wasn't overly dense or doughy. Rather, the resulting bread became the perfect base for toast with butter, or (as mom discovered) honey-drizzled cream cheese as a snack. 

While not as unique as some of the other bakes you'll see linked below, this one is a classic for a reason, and one I will make again for sure!

• Butternut Squash Sourdough Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Carrot Sandwich Bread by Ambrosia
• Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets by Food Lust people Love
• Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Garden Harvest Vegetable Bread Loaf by Making Miracles
• Potato Rosemary Focaccia by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Purple Pain de Mie by A Messy Kitchen
• Spinach Spiced Sourdough Discard Bread by Cook with Renu
• Tomato Garlic Biscuits by Palatable Pastime
• Vegetable Focaccia by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Bread by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from KotiBeth

Makes 2 loaves 

2 tablespoons instant yeast (I used SAF gold)

1 cup warm soy milk

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/3 cup brown sugar

6 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or less to taste, see my homemade recipe to make your own!)

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp salt

1/3 cup each chopped pecans and Craisins

1. In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer fitted with the dough hook), combine the yeast, milk, pumpkin and brown sugar until well mixed.
2. Add the flour and spices and knead briefly, about 30 seconds.
3. Cover and let rest (autolyse) 20 minutes.
4. Add the salt and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and supple.
5. Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
6. Knock down the dough and knead in the pecans and Craisins.
7. Divide dough in half and place each in a greased loaf pan.
8. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, 50-60 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350F.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the interior reads 185F and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
11. Turn out of the pans immediately and cool on a rack.