Savory Pumpkin Bread for Simple Sandwiches [Recipe]
From Halloween to Thanksgiving, the smell of pumpkin spreads throughout the air, signaling to us that the fall season has arrived! And, if you ask me, that’s why this is my favorite time of the year, and each year, I try to find another use for this nutritious vegetable. A simple and delicious savory pumpkin bread made from scratch and with love will be on the menu this week.
What makes this savory pumpkin bread special?
First of all, as we have seen, pumpkin bread is a generally healthy choice, even more so if you are starting to make wiser decisions regarding your diet. As its star ingredient, pumpkin contains a wide range of minerals and vitamins. These include potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and vitamins A, B, C, and E, earning it the title of nutritious food. [1]
What’s more, due to the nature of pumpkin, this bread has a sweet taste. However, on the other hand, the beauty of pumpkin bread is that it can be combined with both sweet and savory foods, meaning you can make a lot of combinations.
How to make savory pumpkin bread for making sandwiches?
Making this savory pumpkin bread is not as complicated as it might seem initially, and the ingredients are straightforward, meaning you may already have them in your kitchen. You’ll need these ingredients to make this delicious bread.
- Butternut pumpkin – While this pear-shaped pumpkin is the most versatile type for cooking, you can also use other types of pumpkin, including Golden Nugget, Queensland, Japanese, or maybe Jarrahdale pumpkin.
- Fresh cheese – I have used cottage cheese because it has a very subtle flavor, but you can also use ricotta because it’s similar or any other cheese you like.
- Wheat flour – Of course, this is a safe option, but you can also try some gluten-free versions.
- Melted butter – Butter is an excellent addition to all kinds of meals.
- Egg – It will help the dough rise and create a large crumb.
- Nutmeg – This is one of the essential spices that pair well with pumpkin.
- Baking powder – To help increase the volume and lighten the texture of a baked product.
- Salt and Sugar
And those are all of the ingredients. Now, let’s look at the steps needed to prepare a perfect savory pumpkin bread:
Step 1: Prepare the pumpkin puree
Clean the pumpkin and cut it into several slices so that it bakes faster. Bake the pumpkin in a preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) for about 30 minutes. It’s ready when it’s soft inside.
When the pumpkin is done, make a pumpkin puree with a hand blender or food processor. Then add nutmeg, salt, and sugar and mix well.
When the pumpkin puree has cooled, stir in the cheese and egg, and then add the melted butter (be careful, it shouldn’t be hot).
Step 2: Combining the ingredients
In another bowl, mix wheat flour and baking powder. Add the mixture to the pumpkin and cheese mixture, dust the surface with flour and knead it into a nice dough. The dough will be ready after about 3 minutes of kneading when it no longer sticks to your hands. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.
Place the dough in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Step 3: Rolling the dough and baking
Dust the work surface with flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the work surface. You don’t have to knead it anymore because it’ll only become hard and dense.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it’s about 0.2 inches (4 mm) thin, and then use round cookie cutters or a cup to cut out the circles. Don’t use cookie cutters that are too big, or you’ll lose a lot of dough.
Bake the irregular shapes as they are. Put them on baking paper and bake them for 25 minutes at 375 °F (180 °C) in a preheated oven. Once they turn brown, they are ready.
Note that whatever you do, don’t knead them again, and don’t roll them because they’ll only become dense and hard.
Step 4: Serving
Serve them by spreading cream cheese, putting salami, and a slice of gouda on them. You can play with toppings as much as you like. This pumpkin bread will also go well with ham or prosciutto and a slice of pickle.
You can cut out small circles and serve them as canapes at your next party.
How to store savory pumpkin bread?
Once your pieces of savory pumpkin bread are done, place them in the plastic container with the cover. Though they are best freshly baked, you can eat them the next day as well. However, it’s essential to keep them covered at room temperature.
When serving them the next day, you can microwave a few pumpkin pieces of bread for about a minute and then serve them immediately with your favorite topping.
Savory Pumpkin Bread for Sandwich
Ingredients
- ½ Pumpkin About 18 oz or 1.2 lb.
- 16 oz Fresh cheese I used cottage cheese.
- 3¾ cups Wheat flour
- ½ cup Melted butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 package Baking powder This is equal 0.5 oz, 14 g, or 2¾ teaspoons.
Instructions
- Clean the pumpkin and cut it into several slices so that it bakes faster. Bake the pumpkin in a preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) for about 30 minutes. It's ready when it's soft inside.
- When the pumpkin is done, make a pumpkin puree with a hand blender or food processor. Then add nutmeg, salt, and sugar and mix well.
- When the pumpkin puree has cooled, stir in the cheese and egg, and then add the melted butter (be careful, it shouldn't be hot).
- In another bowl, mix wheat flour and baking powder. Add the mixture to the pumpkin and cheese mixture, dust the surface with flour and knead it into a nice dough. The dough will be ready after about 3 minutes of kneading when it no longer sticks to your hands. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.
- Place the dough in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Dust the work surface with flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the work surface. You don't have to knead it anymore because it'll only become hard and dense.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it's about 0.2 inches (4 mm) thin, and then use round cookie cutters or a cup to cut out the circles. Don't use cookie cutters that are too big, or you'll lose a lot of dough.
- Bake the irregular shapes as they are. Put them on baking paper and bake them for 25 minutes at 375 °F (180 °C) in a preheated oven. Once they turn brown, they are ready. Note that whatever you do, don't knead them again, and don't roll them because they’ll only become dense and hard.
- Serve them by spreading cream cheese, putting salami, and a slice of gouda on them. You can play with toppings as much as you like. This pumpkin bread will also go well with ham or prosciutto and a slice of pickle.
Notes
Nutrition
Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.
