Crumb Topped Pumpkin Brioche
I have this thing about bread.
I love it.
A good crusty, delicious loaf of bread. Flakey and crunchy on the outside, soft and a bit squishy on the inside. There just is not anything quite like a good loaf of bread. Especially on these cool, rainy Fall days.
Oh ya, I know, last week I was complaining because it was 90˚ and I was making soup…well soup weather just arrived! This weekend was yucky, at least at our house. Town wasn’t so bad, but our house was completely encased in a cloud all weekend and windy! Oh my goodness.
So cozy.
So bread and soup worthy.
Well, I didn’t really have time for cooking this weekend as we were busy butchering animals for this years meat. I did, however, manage to get this brioche made Saturday morning so we would have at least something to eat all day besides cereal.
Brioche dough is something I like to keep on hand, all ready to be made into some delicious breakfast treat. Typically I fry it into doughnuts or make it into cinnamon rolls but I thought this sounded like a fun Fall treat.
I was right of course, it was delicious. Heavenly. Wonderful.
Brioche is such a deliciously sweet, light and airy bread you can hardly stop once you get started and since I discovered I can keep it refrigerated for whenever I need it, it has become a regular staple at our house. I like to make a large batch, in a tub, which I covered and keep cold. Then when I need some I just pull off a hunk, shape it, let it rise and away we go. So easy.
On that note, I will write the recipe for half the amount I make as far as dough and you will have some left to make into another treat or make a couple loaves of bread or whatever.
The brioche is your oyster 😉
- FOR THE BREAD DOUGH
- ¾ cup luke warm water
- ¾ tablespoon yeast
- ¾ tablespoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup (1½ stcks) melted butter
- 3¾ cups all purpose flour (I often use half soft white whole wheat)
FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING - 1 cup pumpkin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING - ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons soft butter
- The night before (or a couple nights/days before, whenever you have time) combine all the bread dough ingredients in a large bowl or a tub. Stir until combined but not homogenous, lumps are fine.
- Cover and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled.
- Stick in the fridge or, truth be told, I have a side-by-side fridge so my tub doesn't really fit so I keep it out in the garage since it it cold enough to do so most of the year here. So fridge or garage until needed.
- When ready to make the bread, preheat your oven to 400˚, mix together the pumpkin filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl and then grab your dough. Generously flour your surface, grab a nice handful of dough, about 8oz. Use your hands to stretch it into a log about 12" long. Roll it out flat, and spread with ⅓ of the pumpkin filling, then roll it like a little cinnamon roll, repeat twice so that you have 3 strands of dough.
- Then sort of stick the tops of the strands together and braid them. Once braided, place them on a greased baking sheet or a baking stone.
- Melt about 1 tablespoon butter and brush all over the dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the crumb topping ingredients and use a fork to mash that butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like course sand. Then carefully put it on top of the braid, covering the whole thing.
- Bake until lightly brown on top, about 30 minutes, then throw a piece of foil or parchment over the top to keep it from getting to dark, and bake another 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool until manageable to grab and eat.
- Huckleberry Plum Pie - January 1, 2017
- Fresh Mango Sorbet - July 17, 2016
- Steak Caesar Salad - June 8, 2016
