OK, I know, it isn't fruit............well, wait a minute, actually, it does have raisins in it.  haha.  It is the season though so I thought I would post this recipe for the best tasting Pumpkin bread ever.  My friends at Honeyville Farms posted this on the Honeyville Farms Cookin Cousins blog.  Yum Yum is all I can say.  Try it for pre-Thanksgiving.  I LOVE home made bread.

Pumpkin Swirled Bread Recipe

 

It's Pumpkin season! Don't you just love all the delicious pumpkin recipes that pop up every time the leaves change and the days get a bit cooler? Whether it's pumpkin pies, cookies, cakes, muffins, treats, or even candy (yes, you've all seen them at the grocery store) the taste of pumpkin always get's me in the mood for a warm sweater, a mug of hot apple cider, and relaxing day on the couch!

Warm pumpkin filling, the sweet smell of cinnamon, sugar, and spice -Yes, this recipe has everything you'd ever want in a delicious pumpkin treat! And best of all, it only takes two hours to prepare and bake up three loaves of this delicious bread. How many bread recipes can say that! Get the Bosch mixer ready, and let's start baking some Pumpkin Swirled Bread!

Ingredients (Bread):
6-7 cups Honeyville Alta Artisan Bread Flour
4 cups milled Honeyville Hard White Wheat
2/3 cups packed Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 cups Hot Water
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/3 cup Agave Nectar or Honey
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 Eggs
1 cup Raisins
4 Tbsp SAF Instant Yeast

(Filling):
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Yields: 3 loaves

 

 Directions:
First, you need to create your whole grain flour.

To do this, mill your hard white wheat in your mill. You will end up with more than 4 cups of flour, but 4 cups is all you'll need for the recipe, so just store the rest in a resealable bag.

 

In your Bosch Mixer combine pumpkin puree and water.
  

Mix together until you get a thick, orange liquid.

Next, add oil, agave nectar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and whole grain flour. Place the yeast on top and start kneading.

Add the alta artisan flour 1 cup at a time as the dough is kneading until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Once this occurs, let the dough knead an additional 2-3 minutes, then add the raisins. Once the raisins have fully combined with the dough, stop kneading, remove the dough and place on a hard counter surface.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 Divide the dough into three 2 pound dough balls. spread out each ball of dough until it is a flat rectangle.

Brush your melted butter on top of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon/brown sugar combination on top.

 Roll the dough, jelly roll style, tuck under the sides, and pinch the seams. Repeat for each loaf.

Place each loaf in a greased 9x5 bread pan and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

You're bread will be ready to bake when your loaves have risen to double their size.

Place in your pre-heated oven of 400 degrees, then knock it down to 350 degrees and bake for 50-55 minutes.

When the bread has baked for 20 minutes, place a piece of foil on the top, to keep the tops from burning, and continue to bake.

Once they are finished baking, remove immediately from the baking pans and let cool on a wire rack.

This bread is probably the best smelling bread I've ever baked! Talk about a sensory overload! The rich aroma of sugar and spices, along with the smell of baking pumpkin and bread will fill your kitchen, your home, and even your heart! This is what fall is all about!

Once you slice into this bread and have a taste you won't know how you ever lived without it! It's perfect right out of the oven with a little butter spread right on top. The cinnamon/brown sugar swirl in the middle not only gives it a gorgeous design, but adds just the right amount of sweetness you're looking for. Even if you're not a huge pumpkin fan, you're going to love this bread!

Yes, pumpkin season is officially here, and with bread like this, you'll wish it could stay around longer! 

Have fun with your food storage.

Bob and LouAnn