The nice sales girl in my parents favourite bakery gave them some slices of bread to test, mentioning that she like it very much but strangely the other costumers did not buy it. My parents tested it and agreed that it is very delicious. At the end, they bought the last loaf.

When they told me about it my brain started to work immediately and soon I had a plan for the next baking day. The basis for the recipe is my favourite wheat and rye bread to which I added roasted pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. For the form of the loaves I tried to mimic a pumpkin, too.

The bread had a good oven spring and smelled divine when I pulled it from the oven. It was hard for me to wait until the bread cooled but my patient was rewarded. The bread had a crisp crust and a regular soft crumb speckeled with orange pumpkin and green seeds.

It is a great bread and for sure not the last time I baked it.

Pumpkin seed bread with roasted Pumpkin

yields 2 Breads

Pâte fermentée

• 150g flour Type 550
• 105g Water
• 2g Salt
• 1g fresh yeast

Sourdough

• 100g Water
• 50g flour Type 550
• 5g Sourdough

Roasted Pumpkin

• 300g chopped pumpkin
• 100g pumpkin seeds
• 2g Salt

Dough

• Sourdough
• Pâte fermentée
• 200g rye flour Type 1150
• 550g flour Type 550
• 500g Water
• 20g diastaltic Malt (optional)
• 20g Butter
• 20g Salt
• 10g fresh yeast

Mix water, flour and starter for the sourdough and ferment for about 12 -16 hours at 25°C.

Mix all ingredients for the Pâte fermentée and proof it for 1 hour at room temperature. Then put the dough into the fridge for 12 hours.

The next morning roast pumkin seeds and pumpkin. Now knead all ingredients 5 min at the slowest speed and 8 min at higher speed until medium gluten development, now add the roasted pumpkin and knead until combined.

Let rise for 1.5 hours

Divide the dough into two parts. Cut a small piece of dough from each half (about 50g) and shape to a ball. Now shape the remaining dough to a ball as well and make an dent in the middle of the loaf. Place the smaller ball in the dent and let it proof for 1 hour on well floured peel.

Heat the baking stone at 250°C in the meantime.

Prior to baking, slash the breads, then place them in the oven with steam. Turn the temperature back to 200°C after 10 min and bake the bread for another  45 min .