If you go to the north of Italy at this time of year you will find bakeries selling colourful pumpkin bread. It is traditional to make it at home too as it is like a celebration of the autumn; this bread is soft and sweet with often raisins added to it too.

My dad grew 100 pumpkins last year and with no intention of selling them! We are pumpkin addicts as we enjoy eating them on their own or to make soups, cakes and various fillings for pastas. They will last for a few months if they are stored in a cool cellar or just kept outside.

In my region, Friuli Venezia Giulia, traditionally people make “Zuf” which is a porridge like pumpkin dish; it is made with corn flour, pumpkin, water and salt and cooked for about an hour. As a child I would often have it for breakfast with fresh milk straight from my relatives dairy cows.  As I am writing this, my mouth is watering: food can be so powerful to your senses! And food you had in your childhood can revive so many memories..

I have made these raisins whirls and only used honey to sweeten them. I think pumpkin and honey go well together and I also liked the idea of not using sugar and just olive oil instead of butter.

Ingredients: (to make about 30 whirls)

  • 500 g flour
  • 3 tbsp of honey
  • a pinch of salt
  • 25 g of fresh or dry yeast for bread making
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 200 g of pumpkin
  • milk
  • 300 g raisins
  • 2 eggs for brushing

Steam the pumpkin until soft. Whiz it and reduce it into a puree.

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Add the flour, pumpkin puree, salt, olive oil, honey and raisins. Add enough milk to make a smooth ball. Work energetically with your hands for 10 minutes.

Put it in a bowl and let it rest in a warm place for a couple of hours covered with a cloth.

It should double in size.

After this resting time work the dough for another couple of minutes and then roll it into thin sausages about 12 cm long which you will roll inwards. Brush them with the whisked eggs and let them rest for another half an hour.

Cook for about 30 minutes until golden at 200 C.

 

I’m entering this into the October’s One Ingredient Challenge. This is a monthly blogging event that is hosted by Franglais Kitchen and How to cook good food. The ingredient for this month is Pumpkin and Squash and is hosted by Nazima and Pierre over at Franglais Kitchen.

Also I am adding this to the weekly “Made with Love Mondays” hosted by Javelin Warrior. I have found wonderful recipes and tips in Javelin’s site and it is definitely worth paying a visit!

JWsMadeWLuvMondays



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