For the bread dough:

• ½ cup (120 mL) warm (not hot) water
• 2–1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup (240 mL) milk, room temperature (I use whole)
• ¼ cup (60 mL) maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 cup (225 gm) pumpkin puree
• 5 cups (650 gm) all-purpose flour
• 1–1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

For the filling:

• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons (75 gm) sugar
• 2–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flour

Instructions

To prepare the dough:

1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top of it. Allow the yeast to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk, maple syrup, and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Add two cups of flour, the salt, and the pumpkin pie spice to the wet ingredients and stir until well integrated. Add an additional 2-1/2 cups of flour and, using the dough hook, knead the bread on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until the bread starts to become stretchy. Add additional flour to the bowl during the kneading process to get the dough the right texture. You are looking for a tacky, stretchy dough.
2. Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, covered with a piece of plastic wrap, to rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. If the dough seems to have a hard time rising, move the bowl to a slightly warmer area of the kitchen. I like to let mine rise next to a warm oven.

To prepare the filling:

1. Once risen, remove dough from bowl and separate into two equal pieces. Roll each sheet of dough on a lightly greased work surface into a 6”x20” rectangle. Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoons of water and brush this wash over the surface of each sheet of dough. Reserve the extra wash.
2. Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and flour in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the surface of each piece of dough.
3. Starting at one of the narrow ends, roll the dough snug up the length of the long ends of the rectangle until you’re left with a tube-shaped roll of dough. Pinch the ends to seal the dough closed. Place each loaf roll into their own greased loaf pan (8.5″ X 4.5″ X 2.75″). Cover with Saran wrap and allow to rise again for about 1 hour, or until the dough has risen one inch over the top of the pan. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
4. Once risen, brush a thin layer of wash over the tops of each loaf. Put the loaves into the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until loaves have turned golden and sound slightly hollow when tapped on the top.
5. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes and then remove to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

• Beware of using a small pan. This recipe requires a large enough pan to accommodate the dough.
• If your bread is not rising well, place loaves in a slightly warmer spot in your kitchen. I let my bread rise next to a warm oven.
• Allow bread to cool completely prior to slicing.
• Bread will keep on the counter for several days but will keep best in the refrigerator for up to 6-7 days. There’s no preservatives in this stuff so it won’t last as long as your supermarket bread- eat fast!
• Wrapped securely in aluminum foil, bread will keep in a freezer for up to four months.