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
Preparation Instructions
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.
Recipe by Foods of Our Lives at https://www.foodsofourlives.com/2014/09/crumb-topped-pumpkin-brioche/