Golden Raisin–pecan Pumpkin Loaves

Total Time: 20 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 20 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (possibly more)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water (80-90 degrees)
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned solid packed
• 1 large egg, at room temp
• 3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1 1/2 cups golden raisins

Recipe

• 1 sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt.
• 2 mix the yeast & the warm water in a a small bowl.
• 3 beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. add the pumpkin and egg and beat until blended.
• 4 add the yeast to the wet ingredients. add the dry ingredients, about ½ cup at a time. add flour & mix until dough comes together - add more flour, a couple of tablespoonfuls at a time, until dough forms from batter.
• 5 knead 10 to 15 minutes (this is where a stand processor and a dough hook would come in handy). at the start, the mixture will look more like a batter than a dough - keep mixing/kneading.
• 6 mix in the pecans, pepitos and raisins, mixing only until incorporated. add the cranberries and mix as little as possible to avoid crushing them.
• 7 scrape the dough into a lightly buttered large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temp to rise until nearly doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• 8 when the dough has doubled, knead gently to deflate, wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate over night.
• 9 at least 6 hours before you want to begin baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator. leave the dough, covered in its bowl, until it reaches at least 64 degrees f on an instant read thermometer. (this will take as long as 3 or 4 hours) - if you don’t have an instant read thermometer, look for the dough to be slightly cool and just a little spongy.
• 10 lightly butter two 8" x 4" bread loaf pans.
• 11 divide dough in two & shape to fit in two bread pans - seam side down.
• 12 cover the pans lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise atroom temp for 1½ - 2 hours, or until the dough has nearly doubled – it will rise just above the rims of the pans.
• 13 center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°f bake the loaves for about 35 minutes, or until deeply golden.
• 14 remove the pans to a cooling rack; after a 5-minute rest, turn the breads out of their pans and allow them to cool to room temp on the rack.