Pumpkin Brioche Recipe

This is a soft and tender pumpkin brioche, made with lots of butter, eggs and pumpkin puree. It's gently spiced and lightly sweetened.

📝 Ingredients

• 60 g lukewarm milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
• 690 g all-purpose flour
• 170 g pure pumpkin puree
• 100 g soft brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tbsp orange zest (finely grated)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 280 g unsalted butter (at room temperature, cubed)
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Add the warm milk and stir in the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. To this yeast mixture, add the flour, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, spices and salt.
2. 2Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and combine it until a thick dough forms. Mix for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
3. 3Add in the cubed butter. Incorporate each cube before the next addition.
4. 4Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing until the sticky dough strengthens, comes together, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. This will take around 20 minutes of mixing.
5. 5Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called the windowpane test. To test this, let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then grab a piece and stretch it.
6. 6Pull the dough from the bowl onto a bench and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough ball into a large oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for around 1.5- 2 hours until the dough doubles.
7. 7Gently deflate the dough and reshape it into a ball. Cover with cling film and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours. This cooling period helps the butter to firm up, making the shaping process simpler.
8. 8--- Shaping ---
9. 9Pull the cold dough from the bowl and tip it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions, and line two loaf pans with parchment paper. The cold dough will feel clammy and stiff.
10. 10Use a bench scraper or knife to divide a portion of the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into tight balls and squish the dough balls in a prepared pan, side by side in two rows.
11. 11Let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size.
12. 12--- Baking ---
13. 13Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
14. 14Whisk an egg in a bowl with a tablespoon of water and use a pastry brush to brush the surface of the dough with egg wash.
15. 15Bake the bread for approximately 30-35 minutes until a deep golden brown. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you can check for an internal temperature of 195°F / 90°C.
16. 16Remove the brioche from the pans and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.