Rustic Pumpkin Bread

These nutty, seedy loaves are shaped like everyone’s favorite fall ingredient: pumpkin! Spiced with a hint of warm autumn flavors and loaded with crunch, this delicious recipe doubles as a centerpiece for the table.   

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt and spices. 

2. Stir in the dried cranberries, walnuts and seeds. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and water until no lumps remain.

4. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. 

5. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 12 hours. 

6. When the time is up, scrape the dough onto a lightly-floured working surface and divide it into 4 equal parts. Cut 5 12-inch pieces of baker’s twine and lay them across each other with the centers intersecting. Shape one of the dough pieces into a ball and place it in the center. Tie the opposite ends of each piece of twine in the center and cut off the excess. (Do not tie too tightly--leave a little bit of give.) Then, flip the dough ball so the knots are at the bottom. Repeat the process with the remaining parts of dough. 

7. Let the dough rise for another hour. Half an hour into the second rise, preheat the oven to 425F and place a large oven-safe pot inside to heat up. 

8. When the time is up, carefully remove the pot from the oven and place the dough inside (keep 2 inches apart as the bread will rise a little while baking). Cover and place the pot back in the oven. 

9. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting off and removing the twine.

10. Place a cinnamon stick in each pumpkin loaf to create a “stem.”

11. Enjoy!