Ingredients
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of pure pumpkin puree (unsweetened and unspiced)
- ½ cup to ⅔ cup of lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast (one standard packet)
- 1 ½ teaspoons of fine salt
- About a dozen or so fresh sage leaves, finely chopped.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- (Optional:) 1 tablespoon of raw, unfiltered honey to balance the savory, earthy flavors
Steps
- Pour ½ cup of the lukewarm water into a small separate bowl or container. Stir in the raw, unfiltered honey until dissolved, and then mix in the yeast. Let it sit for 5-ish minutes, or until the yeast has bloomed (it'll look frothy or a little foamed (don't worry if it doesn't, though-- just trust the yeast will do its thing and use it for the dough anyway.)
- Prepare the sage according to your preference. Or leave it out, honestly! Up to you. If including it, then for the best flavor once can gently warm the chopped leaves in a frying pan in 2-ish tablespoons of olive oil for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, and then let it cool. Alternatively, one can simply mix the raw, finely chopped sage straight into the dry flour to save a dish; the texture will be slightly different, but it works perfectly fine.
- Combine flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, the bloomed yeast mixture, your chosen sage preparation, and the olive oil.
- Stir until a cohesive, sticky dough forms. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead firmly for 6 to 8 minutes. Because we are skipping the overnight rise, manual kneading is necessary to develop the gluten network.
↣ (If the dough feels too dry or difficult to work with while mixing, incorporate the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.) - Shape the dough into a ball, place it into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a tight, neat round loaf, and place it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover it loosely and let it rest for a final 30 minutes.
- While the loaf undergoes its final rest, place your empty, covered cast iron Dutch oven on the middle rack of your oven and preheat to 450°F. Allow the iron to heat thoroughly for at least 30 minutes.
- Right before baking, use a very sharp knife or razor blade to slice a shallow "X" across the top of the dough.
(Why scoring is mandatory: When the dough hits the intense heat of the pot, internal gases expand rapidly. Scoring creates an intentional relief valve. Without it, the steam will tear its way out of the weakest point of the loaf, resulting in an uneven, jagged blowout along the side or bottom.) - Carefully lift the parchment paper by its corners and lower it, along with the dough, into the hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes to trap the steam. Remove the lid and continue baking for 10 more minutes until the crust is a deep, golden brown.
- Transfer the loaf to a tray to a cutting block or other clean heat-safe surface, and let it cool about 10 minutes before slicing (this ensures the internal crumb sets properly.)