By Simon Ngena
AS we discovered in last week’s instalment, there is more to pumpkins than nhopi or muboora. But did you know it can add some delectable flavour to your baking recipes? And who doesn’t like the smell of homemade bread (especially chimhodho), fresh out of the oven? Personally, I don’t know anyone who can resist it.
Pumpkin bread is a slightly sweet bread, but it is not overwhelming and it can be eaten with margarine, jam or dovi, just like ordinary bread. The colour of the bread is superb, thanks to the baked pumpkin, and the texture is wonderful – a slightly crispy crust and fluffy and soft inside. A real treat! Let’s give it a try…
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
λ 600 g flour
λ 15 g fresh yeast
λ 100 g butter
λ 250 g pumpkin purée
λ 100 ml milk
λ 1 egg yolk + 1 large egg
λ 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
λ 1 tbsp sugar
λ linseed (flaxseed)
For the greasing:
λ 1 beaten egg white foam
NOTE: For the vegan version, replace the milk with water (or soy milk) and the eggs with 50 grams of pumpkin purée. Instead of butter, use vegetable oil. The bread will still be great, and the color will be just as beautiful.
Baking Instructions
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
λ Make a well in the middle. Heat the milk gently with the sugar.
λ When it’s warm turn off the heat and add the yeast.
λ Let stand for 10 minutes to rest.
λ Pour the milk into the well in the flour, together with the soft butter and pumpkin purée.
λ Gently beat the egg and egg yolk with the salt.
λ Pour them in the middle, over the other liquid ingredients.
λ Start kneading until you have a homogeneous dough, if necessary, add more flour or milk.
λ Add a teaspoon of flaxseed.
λ Continue kneading for 10 minutes, until you get an elastic and non-sticky dough.
λ Cover the dough with a clean towel and leave to rise for an hour.
λ Line with baking paper two trays 16-20cm (6-8 inch) diameter with high edges.
λ Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into two pieces.
λ From each piece, roll out two rolls and braid them.
λ Put the braided dough in the baking tray.
λ Brush the bread with well beaten egg white and sprinkle flax (or pumpkin) seeds on top.
λ Leave the bread for another 30 minutes to rise in the tray.
λ Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C degrees (374 degree F).
λ When the oven is hot, place the bread in the oven.
λ After 10 minutes, decrease the heat and bake for half an hour.
When it’s nicely browned and gives off a wonderful aroma through the house, it’s ready.
λ Remove the bread from the oven and from the tray, and put it on a cooling rack.
λ After half an hour, cover the bread with a clean kitchen towel.
λ It’s lovely fresh but keeps well for 3-4 days. It goes well with a cup of milk, a fresh piece of cheese or a juicy steak.
λ It also does well in a work/school lunch box. Enjoy!
Right now in Zimbabwe it is the midst of the pumpkin season, so I thought why not maximise on their availability and make some scones in addition to the traditional bread or chimodho. This is a simple recipe for which you require cooked pumpkin, which is then mashed.
Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
λ 3/4 cup pumpkin, cooked and mashed
λ 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
λ 1/4 cup castor sugar
λ 1 egg lightly beaten
λ 50g margarine
λ 3 tbsp milk
λ 1/4 tsp mixed spice
λ extra milk for brushing
λ extra flour for kneading
Baking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ Gas Mark 5. Get your ingredients ready. These are mashed pumpkin (3/4 cup), castor sugar (1/4 cup), margarine (50 g), self-raising flour (2 1/2 cups), milk (3 tbsp), 1 egg lightly beaten and mixed spice (1/4 tsp). Add sugar and flour in bowl and mix until light and fluffy.
2. When light and fluffy, gradually add the egg, mixing in between the addition. Add pumpkin, sifted flour and mixed spice and mix until just combined. Add milk and mix to form a sticky dough.
3. Transfer this dough to a floured surface and knead lightly for about five minutes. Roll out your dough to about 2 cm thick. Grease your baking sheet well.
4. Using a cutter of your choice, cut out the scones and lay them in the baking tray. Brush each mini-scone with milk then bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on cooling rack for just five minutes to allow a brief cooling down then serve immediately. If you wish you may still have them as a lunchbox idea, cooled down, or even at a kids’ party, they still taste just as good.