Pumpkin Pie Brioche just in time for Thanksgiving!
Pumpkins are associated with the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert, a decadent pie filled with spices and sweetness. The pumpkin adds a smooth and luxurious texture that amounts to pure comfort food. Pumpkin is not only wonderful for its flavors but is also chock full of healthy vitamins. This was the inspiration for making a pumpkin pie brioche to include in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It can be baked as a loaf, in a brioche pan or even made into our Indian Spiced Doughnuts (page 287) or as the bottom crust for the Pear Tarte Tatin (page 290). It is fabulous as dessert or breakfast.
Pumpkin Pie Brioche:
3 cups white whole wheat, or traditional whole wheat
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup neutral flavored oil or unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (freshly roasted or canned)
Egg wash for brushing on top
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top
These directions are abridged from the book, for more detailed instructions go to page 354 in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Mixing and storing the dough: whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a 5-quart Food Storage Container, fitted with a non-airtight lid. Combine the liquid ingredients and add them to the dry with a wooden spoon. Mix thoroughly, until there are no more dry bits of flour. The dough will be quite loose when you are done.
Cover the container and allow the dough to rest on the counter for 2 hours. Once it has risen refrigerate for at least 2 hours before baking or it is too difficult to handle. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
On baking day: Grease a six-inch Brioche Mold. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound (cantaloupe size) piece of dough. Dust with more flour and quickly shape into a ball.
Place the ball of dough into the prepared pan with the smooth side up. Allow the dough to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
As you can see it didn’t rise that much during the rest. That is normal for our dough. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash using a pastry brush and sprinkle it with the raw sugar.
Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then turn it out and
form a thick ring with a clean kitchen towel…
and invert the brioche onto the towel so that the dome of the brioche is supported by the towel. This will prevent the top or bottom of the loaf from getting crushed as it cools. Let the dough come to room temperature before cutting and serving.
Enjoy!
There have been many questions about Vital Wheat Gluten (also known as Vital Wheat Gluten Flour) and where it can be found. We are lucky in Minnesota to have many grocery stores and co-ops that carry it. There are several brands, including some in bulk, but the most readily available is Bob’s Red Mill.
Happy Baking! Zoë and Jeff
I’m making the pumpkin brioche. It sounds great.
I am dying to make bagels! Can’t wait! Just made my first batch of Healthy Master Recipe and will bake my first loaf tomorrow. Thank you so much for coming up with this bread concept. I haven’t bought store bread in three months!
I’ve been fooling around with whole grains since I started using your ABin5 master recipe. We’ve enjoyed the sticky buns many times, but this time of year I think apple sticky buns might take the cake. Thank you for making local bread a possibility for us! The pumpkin is cooked and in the fridge, ready for some brioche!
I can’t wait to try the cinnamon crescent rolls, and I’m looking forward to your class next week at Cooks!
I’m glad to hear that the vital wheat gluten is easy enough to find in the twin cities!
Amazon says I should be getting the HBI5 that I ordered next week. I’m going to try the master recipe first. Then the quinoa bread. My husband wants a hearty bread and I think that quinoa will make a good filling bread.
I have a batch of HBin5 Master Recipe chilling in the refrigerator right now! Looking forward to baking it for tomorrow’s dinner.
Pick me, pick me, please. I just received my copy of your new book and can’t wait to get started. I’m making the Pumpkin Pie Brioche using Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten. Ummmm, I can almost smell it baking now . . .
Planning to make the whole grain rye bread—-the potato rye from your first book has been our favorite, so we’re anxious to try this one!
I just received the book in the mail. I’m going to try the basic recipe tomorrow. Loved the first book. I am going to use this book quite a bit. I’ve always loved cooking with whole grains.
I actually made this recipe using the Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten and Organic White Whole Wheat Flour. Terrific products I would recommend to any home baker! I don’t use any other brand… Thanks for the chance at giveaway!
i’m curious about the whole wheat brioche but pan d’epi has always fascinated me.
I love Bob’s Red Mill! I was just there this weekend. It would be wonderful to win any of their products.
As for what I want to bake from your book, I was thinking the whole wheat brioche, but this pumpkin pie brioche sounds pretty darn good.
Just bought the book yesterday. The 100 percent whole wheat dough is in my fridge, and I’ll bake a loaf tomorrow, but in a loaf pan.
Thanks so much for including the recipe here! Now I don’t have to wait until I receive the book as gift, soon…. 🙂
Actually haven’t made anything yet, so I’d better start with the basic loaf, but THEN I’d like to try this pumpkin brioche!! Thanks for the great site!
Zoe and Jeff,
I am a member of the Bread Braid which you all should check out on BigBlackDog.net blog!
We started with the pumpkin pie brioche and I made 3 plain loafs of great bread. You won’t believe all the great idea’s the “cooks” in the group came up with. Great pictures and recipes! I’m a “non-baker” have 2 buckets of dough in my refrigerator. I love the new book and can’t wait to try the “red wine” bread next! Thank you Zoe and Jeff!
I just started using Vital Wheat Gluten and I now put it in almost all my breads. I will probably put it in the AB5 Semolina Flour because I make it almost every 2 weeks.
I am having so much fun with my new copy of Healthy Bread in 5 min a day. I started with the master recipe. I have had a bit of trouble getting my convection oven time and baking times just right. My crust was getting much too brown too quickly while the inside was still gummy.
I think I have it now. Yesterday I made the cinnamon raisin bagels and thought they were heavenly. They could be addictive. Now I have a container of whole wheat flax seed dough in my refrigerator waiting for my next project. I substituted some of my sourdough starter in the recipe. The only thing slowing me down is my desire to maintain my weight.
I’m starting at the front, and going to the back. I’m just finishing my first batch of the 1st recipe. Hmmm. (I grind my own flour so always have a fresh supply of all my whole grain flours)
I’d love to bake the pumpkin brioche!
I can’t wait to try the cinnamon raisin bagels and the soft sandwich bread. I also think the berry bread would be really fun to hand out to the neighbors for the holidays. I am so excited about your new book – I just wish my kids would give me more time to play with it!!
I have my first batch of whole wheat brioche dough in the fridge right now, and I plan to make my first loaf tomorrow. I still don’t have your book yet (HBinFive is at the top of my Christmas wish-list), but at least two people have ordered ABinFive this week on my recommendation. Thank you!
OMG that sounds so good! I’ve been craving some baked pumpkin concoction! Alas with a baby due any day, I’m not sure if I’ll have time for baking. It’s on my list.
I just recently heard about the bread in 5 phenomenon after emerging from underneath my rock and just ordered a copy of the new Healthy Bread version that is on its way here. I will definitely try the master recipe first and then as soon as I can, dive into that pumpkin pie brioche. Thanks for making bread-baking accessible and bringing an old craft back into style.
I just want to make a good staple bread with more whole wheat content!
Chocolate bread next? That sounds good. The seeded oat bread was great and pumpkin brioche is in the fridge. Maybe alternate the yummy bread with the good for you bread. The bran muffin bread, I found all the ingredients for that one. I didn’t know that our little town had such a variety of ingredients available compared to some places. The bulk bins at the natural foods store is wonderful for trying new grains and seeds.
I have to agree with some of those above — the seeded oat sounds brilliant. Perhaps over the weekend …
I have too many bananas getting old on my counter, so definitely the whole wheat banana bread next. I think my 1 year old daughter will love it for breakfast this weekend.
What do I intend to make or what have I *already* made?!
I’ve made the pumpkin pie brioche (unbelievable!); I’ve made the fruit and millet bread (my favorite, unless you count the seeded loaf that I also love!!!); I just made the whole wheat brioche that I baked and put in the freezer for Thanksgiving–I’ll make a bread pudding out of it!
Next up, maybe the tapenade bread. I’ve been drooling over that since I got the other book! 🙂
Your books are truly amazing! I don’t think I’ll ever use another bread book (and I have many!).
Just got your new book and have been reading through your delicious sounding recipes. I’m going to start with your master recipe and go from there (like I did with your first book). I’m glad to have a book full of breads using whole grains.
So far had the Soft WW Sandwich bread (which also made killer pizza crust), Master, WW olive oil, WW flax,
loved them all, next up are Rye, Pump, Betsy’s seeded…
the hardest part is deciding which one first.
Thank you again for bring such joy into
my life as baking a perfect loaf of bread so easily!
I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to try this Pumpkin Pie Brioche next, it sounds so good. Bread + pumpkin pie, how can you go wrong??
WOW, just judging from all the comments, I’d say that lots of stores are going to have to start stocking generous sized bags of this gluten. I don’t have the book, yet, but it’s on my list for this season. I’ve seen the basic recipe video you have on amazon.com, and I plan to mix up some of that today.
Thanks for all your work in making this GREAT book! You have lots of fans.
I’m going to try the honey whole wheat and the whole wheat brioche next. The pumpkin pie brioche sounds awesome so I can’t wait to try that, and I have a ton of beets so I really need to use those up and noticed you had a recipe in there for them! Any thoughts on how to use up too much rutabega? Thanks for sharing your brilliant recipes with all of us!
I’d like to try one of the brioche recipes from the book next. Mmmm. 🙂
I don’t have the book yet, but after all the great reviews I’ve heard about ABin5 and HBin5, I put both books on my shortlist of cookbooks to buy next. Only question is which one I should get first!
The pumpkin brioche is very pretty. Brioche sounds difficult and higher in fat and calories than other bread types, so I’ve never attempted it. I would love to try your version.
I made the Pumpkin Brioche last week. We had some delicious French Toast made from it. I am planning to try the basic recipe next.
I’ve already made the basic wheat dough and the soft wheat loaf, but I have my eye on those cute little garlic/parsely knots next!
Well, I was planning to try the whoe wheat brioche, but now I will be adding the pumpkin brioche too. This will make my family very happy.
I just read the article about your new book in Mother Earth News and I will definitely be taking on the master recipe first!
I’m going straight for the whole wheat cinnamon-raising bagels this weekend!! 🙂
…and by raising…I meant raisin. 😉
Can’t tell you what I’m going to make yet because (sadly) I have to wait for Santa’s arrival. However. I have been using the vital wheat gluten in all of my wheat breads with great success.
I plan on making the soft whole wheat sandwich loaf for my first loaf from the book. I love the books and can’t wait to continue baking for my family with more delicious recipes.
I am making English Muffins, more and more boules, pitas and sweet rolls! Pitas tomorrow, for sure: gotta have Gyros.
I was actually thinking about making some sandwich bread next, actually. mmmm.
I sadly don’t have the book yet but plan on picking it up very soon! I’ve loved the Artisan bread in 5 book and am looking forward to seeing the recipes and ideas contained in your new book!
As a matter of fact, I’m planning on making a batch of Pumpkin Pie Brioche for the holiday! Maybe some donuts… (This is going to be my first of the enriched doughs–looks great!)
I’m making the 100% whole wheat bread recipe next. I’ve got cranberries and walnuts in my pantry that are just begging for me to add them into the dough for dinner rolls. But first I have to get a bigger dough bucket! I made the wheat brioche a few weeks ago and it seriously overflowed my 1gal container!
that pumpkin broiche looks fantastic! i must try it, but definitely with less butter (although I love me some butter!) I don’t actually have HB in5 but really enjoy my Artisan Bread book. I am domestic diva now to all my friends, thanks to you! I would love to have some wheat gluten and flour to make up some holiday bread gifts!