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 and makes the perfect bread for gourmet sandwiches, or as the base for French toast or bread pudding.
This pumpkin brioche dough is based off my classic brioche bread recipe. It’s high in butter and eggs, which contributes to the authentic tender brioche texture. The addition of pumpkin puree adds the most beautiful yellow hue to the baked bread. The pumpkin flavor is mild, but it is enhanced with a bit of pumpkin pie spice.
I highly recommend making this dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment if you’ve got it. The addition of all the eggs and butter makes it a very sticky dough to work with, and it needs lots of kneading time work on the gluten structure.
If you want a slightly less enriched pumpkin bread, with less butter check out my pumpkin cinnamon sugar swirl bread recipe.
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts for this pumpkin brioche recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of the dough ingredients.
- All-purpose flour- All-purpose flour is used for this recipe, one with a protein level of around 11%. This protein content is enough to develop the gluten but not too much that the bread becomes chewy. Using bread flour with protein levels can lead to chewy bread.
- Yeast – The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast.
- Milk. This can be whole milk or skim.
- Large eggs.
- Soft brown sugar. Not too much, though I have used a bit more than I do in traditional brioche.
- Spices. Use pumpkin pie spice, or a mix of individual spices.
- Salt.
- Unsalted butter – Lots of butter to make an extra enriched dough. Have this at room temperature so it can easily be incorporated.
Equipment
- A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment- A stand mixer makes this brioche recipe nice and easy. It is possible to knead by hand, but with such a large amount of butter and eggs in the dough, it takes a lot of arm muscle.
- Two standard 8.5 x 4.5 inch (21x11cm) loaf pans. You can also use two 9×5 inch loaf pan, for a less high loaf.
Method
Step 1- Add 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.
Step 2 – Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and combine it until it a thick dough forms. Mix for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
Step 3- Add in the cubed butter. Incorporate each cube before the next addition.
Turn 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.
Proper 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.
Step 4 – Pull 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.
Step 5 – Gently 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.
Shaping
Step 6 – Pull 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.
Use a bench scraper or knife to divide a portion of the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll the pieces of dough into balls
Place the dough balls in a prepared pan, side by side in two rows.
Step 8 – Let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size.
Baking
Step 9 –Whisk 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.
Step 10 – Bake 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.
If the tops are browning too fast for your liking, loosely cover the tops of the bread with aluminum foil. However, don’t be afraid of a deeply browned top. That brings flavor!
Once baked, allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack before slicing.
Storing
Fresh brioche can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Uses for pumpkin brioche
Here are some uses for brioche bread:
- Pumpkin brioche french toast. This is a great use when the bread is a bit older and stale. I use this French toast recipe.
- Bread Stuffing: Use the brioche as the base for a Thanksgiving stuffing, combined with sautéed onions, celery, herbs, and broth.
- Toasted with Spreads: Simply toasted and spread with butter, cream cheese, or even apple butter for a morning treat.
- Bread and Butter Pudding: Similar to the classic bread pudding but with an added layer of buttered slices and perhaps some raisins or dried cranberries. Or make French toast casserole.
- Grilled Cheese: Add a twist to the classic grilled cheese by using pumpkin brioche as the bread. Pair with gouda or fontina cheese.
- Bostock: This is a French pastry where slices of brioche are topped with frangipane and sliced almonds, then baked until golden.
- Sandwiches: Use slices of pumpkin brioche to make gourmet sandwiches. Try fillings like roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and brie.
Pumpkin Brioche Recipe
Ingredients
- 60 g lukewarm milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 690 g all-purpose flour
- 230 g pure pumpkin puree
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 230 g unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
Egg wash
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add 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.
- Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and combine it until a thick dough forms. Mix for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
- Add in the cubed butter. Incorporate each cube before the next addition.
- Turn 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.
- Proper 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.
- Pull 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.
- Gently 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.
Shaping
- Pull 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.
- Use 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 place the dough balls in a prepared pan, side by side in two rows.
- Let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Whisk 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.
- Bake 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.
- Remove the brioche from the pans and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Bake at 350˚?
Yes! Thank you!