Pumpkin Brioche
Romance is something that has changed for me over the years. When my husband and I first started dating, flowers and chocolates were the standard. I loved it when I’d open the door and see him grinning from behind a beautiful bouquet, perhaps with a box of chocolate hidden behind his back. After almost five years together, two of them married, I’m amazed that he still does things like that. But I also think it’s funny how certain things are amazingly romantic nowadays - things that I probably wouldn’t have noticed or appreciated as much pre-marriage. Like when he makes the bed in the morning, or when he spends time cleaning the kitchen after I’ve cooked dinner because he knows I hate waking up to a messy apartment.
And then there are times when he completely outdoes himself, times when he makes my jaw drop and thoughts like “How on earth did I get so lucky??” run through my head. Times like this weekend, when he came home with a huge bag from ‘Bed, Bath & Beyond’ and I found this inside:
Yes, I added the sparkle. It was the only way to approximate the ‘heavens parting and angels singing’ feeling in text form. Whee!
Is it just me, or are kitchen appliances incredibly romantic? Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to make something with our new mixer. I decided to make brioche because after hand mixing and kneading breads for so long it was one of the few that required too much mixing/kneading for me to do it by hand. I looked through all my baking books and finally decided on pumpkin brioche. Spiced with ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, this bread smells heavenly and tastes divine.
The recipe is from one of my all-time favorite books, “The Bread Bible” by Beth Hensperger. I’ve posted three recipes from it before so this will be the last one (I have this rule about never posting more than four recipes from a book), but if you are ever in the market for an amazing collection of fool-proof recipes, this one is definitely worth getting. Chapters include quick breads, picnic breads, pancakes, waffles, crepes, popovers, muffins, celebrations breads, whole grain breads, and more, for a total of 300 delectable recipes. My favorites? Mexican Morning Buns, Spiced Applesauce Muffins, Bohemian Sweet Rolls, Hot Cross Buns with Dried Fruit, and Apple-Walnut Bread. I generally don’t like cookbooks without pictures, but I’ve been so happy with everything I’ve made that I’m more than willing to overlook it in this case. Also, I should note that Hensperger includes directions for mixing by hand and with a machine, as well as two chapters on making breads with food processors and bread machines. The recipe for pumpkin brioche was for brioche a tete but I wanted to make a loaf, so I modified the instructions using a basic brioche recipe found in “Breakfasts & Brunches” as a model.
Pumpkin Brioche
(View larger images)
Recipe is after the jump! I’ve included Hensperger’s by-hand instructions also - my arms were never strong enough to do it but if you happen to have a teenager in the house you may be able to bribe them into doing all the manual labor. 
This bread tastes especially good with a generous swath of apricot butter spread over a thick slice.
Pumpkin Brioche
Adapted from “The Bread Bible” by Beth Hensperger and “Breakfasts & Brunches” by The Culinary Institute of America.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree at room temperature
- 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature. Plus 1 egg for the wash.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- Egg wash: 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon whole milk
Pour the warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl using a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the pumpkin, 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt and spices. Add the yeast mixture and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups more flour. Add the butter a few pieces at a time and beat until incorporated. Add exactly 3/4 cup more flour and beat until creamy. The dough with be soft, sticky and batter-like. (It will not look like regular bread dough, that’s ok!) Switch to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.
Scrape the dough into a greased deep container. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at a cool room temperature until doubled or tripled in bulk, about 3 hours. Gently deflate the dough and cover it tightly with plastic. Refrigerate overnight.
Gently deflate the dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, flour your hands and gently form into a large ball. Pat into a flat circle shape large enough for the dough to be divided into 8 equally sized pieces. Cut into 8 pieces using a knife or pizza cutter, then shape each piece into a ball and place in a lightly greased loaf pan in two rows of four. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at a cool room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes . Reduce the thermostat to 350 degrees F and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until the loaf is browned, slightly crisp and has a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
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This entry was posted on Monday, January 29th, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Books, Breads, French, Yeasted Breads. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
49 Responses for "Isn’t It Romantic…"
Yea!!!! Doin’ the happy dance for ya!
Beautiful story and a gift! I have a green KA although story was not that romantic as your’s !:))
Love the sparkle and the Bread too.Must try!!Enjoy your gift and your honey!:)
Congratulations on your new mixer! I have one in red, and I am in love with it. Oh — the bread looks lovely, too.
What a great husband you have, Ari. That’s a wonderful gift for the two of you.I’ve always found kitchen toys sexy so I’m not surprised that you view them as romantic. Kitchens and food can affect us that way.
I do have a great husband Utenzi, I’m very lucky. :love: And you know, there’s definitely a connection between food + love, and hence between love + kitchen appliances! lol.
hehe…one Valentine’s, mine bought me a monster sized collector’s tin of 120 Prismacolor pencils, plus drawing pencils and some specialty color Prismas. It was enough to make me swoon.
Now that you have that KitchenAid, you’re going to wonder how you functioned without it.
My husband did the same thing for Valentines day a few years ago… he upgraded my Kitchen Aid. I’d take that over flowers any day!
Once you have kids, getting some time for a nap is romantic as well. That’s what I’ve asked for for V-Day this year…
kitchenaid mixers are the sexiest present ever…..
So jealous. Both of the shiny new mixer and the thoughtful sweetheart.
You have the best husband in the whole world.
I suspect you’re probably pretty amazing yourself, that brioche looks perfect!
Brioche is one of my favorite types of bread! It has the best texture and buttery flavor. I bet adding pumpkin puree to it sounds delicious. I will have to try it! And that looks like a gorgeous loaf.
you are so lucky! and have such a wonderful husband
your brioche looks really good too.
oh what a wonderful wonderful present! and your bread looks like its shaped like a heart. and apricot butter…. gasp! everything about this post is just so comforting!
What a romantic story and a wonderful and perfect gift. Love that sparkle in the picture of your Kitchen Aid. Bread is looking very delicious and ready ready to eat.
Nice pictures Ari…
Your hubby sounds like a real winner.
And your brioche looks sooo good!
Paz
Keep Him! …and he definetely should keep you…what a sweet wife! Beautiful brioche!
My KA mixer is your KA mixer, but without the shine (I’ve had it quite a while). My girlfriend would like us to move in together, and I suspect it’s for my mixer and cooking skills more than anything else!
The brioche sounds great–I haven’t baked bread in a while, but it makes me want to,
You got the MIXER!!!! Yay!!! You will be on Culinary Cloud Nine!!!! (I love Brioche, but have never had Pumpkin Brioche — It’s my Saturday mornining project)
Your Knight came to your rescue and saved your arms from all that mixing by hand. That is a true champion!
The Brioche looks amazing.
There is something terribly romantic about food (and kitchen tools). I remember the first meal my husband made me was tortilini and red wine. We ate by candle light and then snuggled in front of a fire. Cliche I know, but totally worth it.
Romance like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perspective and time change us.
I love the sparkle you put on it. Perfect.
And Nik sure has got it food and kitchen tools are romantic.
And yes I really enjoy and trust Beth. I have several of her books and every recipe I’ve done has been perfect.
I would LOVE a kitchen aid mixer - they cost the same amount in $ as £ here - so that means TWICE as much. My husband says when we finally remodel the kitchen I can have one….yep - when hell freezes over…..
I’ve always wondered about buying one in the states and bringing it back with electrical adaptors - it would be by far the cheapest option….
ps brioche looks delicious
xx
Ari,
Yay!!! This is a wonderful present! I can only imagine the wonderful things you will be making with this mixer…
I had a good laugh reading the final part of your text - after baking some recipes like this one, I think I should be able to wave someone goodbye without worrying about my arms looking like jello!
Your brioche looks great!
I can’t imagine life without my kitchaid at this point
Oooh, that mixer is a beautiful thing. I’ve never been a big bread maker because 1) I’m rarely eating carbs…a tragedy, I know 2) it’s hard to make (physically)! I’m feeling inspired by this brioche, though. *gears a-turnin’ in my head*
Gorgeous! And what a fabulous husband you have.
Btw, I made the pizza in your last post - it was great!
The brioche looks perfectly lovely and what a wonderful and romantic surprise gift. You’re a lucky woman.
Can you guys adopt me? You have some of the most awesome food and stories around.
Much Love
Be still my heart!! That is amazing! I’m already thinking of the sandwiches, french toast, and croutons I would make with that. Beautiful!
I never would have seen it myself, but Connie is right: the brioche looks like a heart shape! I love it!
Congrats on the new mixer, I can’t wait to see what you make with it.
yes, you have a wonderful husband! i love beth hensperger too, even though i had her bread book for bread machine (my machine died a while ago), i still could use the book to bake bread with a mixer. beautiful picture of your pumpkin brioche!
Titchadshi!
That’s awesome.
I think i have to make that Brioche as well. I have a big hunk of squash sitting in the fridge.
Aww what a sweetie he is! I love hearing (and reading) stories like these. I’ve never tasted pumpkin brioche before but it sure sounds like something I would enjoy and want to make for myself.
BTW, I love that sparkle.
I am so unbelievably jealous of you and your new, smooth, sleek and shiny kitchenaid! As for your wonderful hubby, I can only hope to meet someone that lovely one day
Oh wow! I was just in Paris over the holidays and I think I ate a ton of brioche. YUM! Can’t wait to try this Pumpkin recipe!
He bought you a KitchenAid mixer? He’s definitely a keeper!!
I know what you mean about KA’s being romantic - I recieved my shiny black KA from hubby on my last birthday, and I STILL swoon when I think about it - LOL.
The pumpkin brioche looks delightful!
OMFG yum! That looks so flippin good.
I just love this post! It totally reminds me of my husband and I. You lucky girl, you are right.. that is SUCH a romantic thing to do! The brioche looks amazing!
yUM! I would like some of that!
And, your hubby is such a sweetie!
I have a KA mixer in silver. I love it as I’m sure you will love yours. Your honey is very sweet. The brioche looks delicious. I am definitely getting that cookbook.
OMG this looks amazing! I really want to try it but I’m not much of a baker… maybe I’ll start with one of your easier recipes, then work my way up to this one. Can I email you if I have questions?
Your blog ROCKS.
Hi again! I’m so glad you finally got the mixer you wanted! I made some chocolate chip and walnut cookies with mine. After I waited so long and got it before Christmas, I spent most of December ill with various respiratory things and didn’t make much of anything for the holiday. But last week we finally uncrated it and made the cookies. Enjoy your new toy!
P.S. Visit my blog if you get a chance, and leave a comment. I’m not getting too many comments–maybe I don’t have enough to say?!
Tali you are more than welcome to email questions to me. Better yet, post them here so that other people can see them.
Sandra, I’ll drop by your blog thanks for the link!
Wonderful husband! I agree with everyone here who says to keep him. That is a smart looking kitchen aid. I love mine!
Veron I would have kept him with or without the KA, but the KA sure is nice! :love:
Pumpkin brioche looks wonderful! I’m always looking for great new breads for my holiday tables!
OMG….I am a huge fan of Brioche and super-de-duper huge fan of pumpkins! So, this is a perfect combo, now I’m contemplating how to fry this thing up with a little maple syrup. Yummy!
Hey Ari,
I see your brioche made Tastespotting! GOOD FOR YOU, girly. Now, off to try your recipe!!