Baking bread that looks like a pumpkin is fun and it can be a pretty centerpiece on your autumn table. To make this shape, you tie strings around the dough just before putting it in the oven. As the dough bakes, it expands and bulges out between the strings, making the bread look like a pumpkin or at least like some sort of gourd. The challenge in making this bread is that the dough’s oven spring often ruptures one or more of the segments, resulting in an imperfect (but still lovely) bread like the one below. Fortunately “mess ups” taste good and can be a perfect way to begin freezing bread for our Best Sourdough Stuffing recipe.
The gourdlike blisters come from water brushed on the dough
So that your pumpkin bread might turn out perfect the first time, I played with some different approaches to avoid segment rupture and give tips below. I also tested using turmeric to color the crust orange. My first attempt with turmeric was quite messy, so I found a way to bake the color into the crust, so your fingers and cutting board can remain stain-free when the time comes to eat the bread. If you don’t have parchment paper or if you have a porous, light colored work surface, e.g. unsealed white marble, it is probably best to skip the orange crust. A golden brown or white flour crust is also beautiful! Also note that crust color will vary with how long the lid is off the baking vessel during the bake and your choice of flour, both the wheat varietal and whether the flour is whole grain, sifted, or refined.
Steps for Making Pumpkin-Shaped Bread
- Mix up any sourdough or yeast bread recipe that can be baked “freestanding” i.e. not in a loaf pan. It should fit into a clay baker or dutch oven with some space around the edges or be baked on an oven stone or steel. You can choose from bread recipes on Breadtopia’s blog, or try our beginner-friendly Basic All Purpose Sourdough Bread or Basic Whole Wheat Yeast Bread.
- After the first rise/bulk fermentation, shape the dough into a ball or boule and place it in a round proofing basket.
- About thirty minutes before the final proof is complete, begin preheating your oven and baking vessel as per your recipe.
- Measure out four pieces of butcher’s twine (oven safe string) that are long enough to go around the dough with plenty extra inches for oven spring and knots. Fold the four pieces in half, so you now have eight strands and tie an overhand knot at the folded end.
- Lightly oil the strings so they’re easier to remove from the baked bread.
- Uncover the proofed dough but don’t flip it yet, lay the string knot in the center and spread out the eight strings like spokes on a wheel.
- Cover the string and dough with a large piece of pre-crumpled parchment paper, followed by a cutting board (not required, but makes flipping easier), and flip.
- For a standard crust, simply brush off any excess flour from the surface of the dough or add more flour if you want white and brown contrast. If you want a yellow-orange crust, brush or spray the dough with water, then sprinkle on turmeric powder. You then have the option to leave it as is or brush off excess turmeric with your hand, rinse your hand, and return to your dough.
- Place an aluminum foil disc on the center of the dough to help you tie the strings with space for oven spring. If your dough is made with high gluten flour or is leaning toward underproofed, make the foil disc larger e.g. the size of 2-3 Oreo cookies. If your dough is overproofed or made with whole grain or low gluten flours, the foil disc can be smaller e.g. 1-2 Oreos.
- Tie each of the four pairs of opposing strings over the disc. Either trim the tails or tie them in a single knot so they’re out of the way.
- Score the interior of the eight segments.
- Remove the foil. It’s okay if the strings drape unevenly back onto the dough.
- Bake the bread as per your recipe’s instructions, with the option to re-score at the 7-8 minute mark.
- When the bread is done, remove the string, and brush off any excess turmeric overtop your parchment paper before placing the bread on a cooling rack.
- Put a cinnamon stick in the center of the bread to look like a stem.
Avoiding Segment Rupture
The bolded tips are highly recommended, whereas the other suggestions are options you might consider.
- Tie the strings loosely around a removeable prop so they are even.
- Let the final proof go farther than you normally might.
- Use whole grain and/or lower gluten flours.
- Re-score the small cuts 7-8 minutes into the bake.
Tips for Baking the Turmeric into the Crust
Sprinkling turmeric powder on wet dough makes the color embed itself into the crust as it bakes. This allows you to slice and eat the bread without staining your hands or cutting board. If you have any concerns though, use a piece of parchment paper over your cutting board. Here are some additional tips:
- Flip your dough out of the proofing basket onto a large piece of parchment paper to catch any turmeric that doesn’t land on your dough. Make sure you pre-crumple the paper so it easily forms around the inside of your baking vessel and doesn’t dent your dough.
- Use a pastry brush or spray bottle to wet the bare dough, then sprinkle turmeric powder on the wet crust. This sets the turmeric during the bake. If possible, use a flour duster or sifter jar to sprinkle on the turmeric. Brush off any excess turmeric with your hand, which tends to be more washable than the bristles of a pastry brush.
- When the bread comes out of the oven, keep it on the parchment paper while you remove the string. Use your hands to brush off any excess turmeric powder (usually only around the base of the bread). Set the bread on a cooling rack, and fold up and throw out the parchment paper.
If you enjoy making this pumpkin bread, you might also want to try a Turkey Shaped Bread for Thanksgiving.
