Pumpkin Nasturtium Cheese Bread

Pumpkin Nasturtium Cheese Bread or a pull-apart pumpkin herb bread is a savory bread bursting with peppery, tangy, garlicky flavors from nasturtium.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Resting Time: 2 30

Servings: Loaf

½ Cup Lukewarm Water
½ Cup Lukewarm Milk - Can be replaced with water or vegans can replace it with vegan milk
7 grams of Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar

4 cup - 500 grams - Whole Wheat Flour - Can be replaced with All Purpose or Plain Flour
¾ Cup - 200 grams - Pumpkin Puree
2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika Powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ Cup - 1 cup Lukewarm milk
2 tablespoon Olive Oil

In a bowl add the yeast mixture and let it rest for 10 minutes.
½ Cup Lukewarm Water, ½ Cup Lukewarm Milk - Can be replaced with water, 7 grams of Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast, 1 teaspoon Sugar
After 10 minutes the yeast mixture would be proofed.

Clean and rinse the nasturtium leaves well.
2 cup Nasturtium leaves
Tap it dry with a clean kitchen towel.
In a blender or a food processor, puree it along with garlic.
2 large garlic cloves

In a bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl add in the flour, salt, pumpkin puree, and smoked paprika powder.
4 cup - 500 grams - Whole Wheat Flour - Can be replaced with All Purpose or Plain Flour, ¾ Cup - 200 grams - Pumpkin Puree, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika Powder
Give it a nice mix.
Add in the yeast mixture and knead the dough on low until well incorporated.
You would need to add the additional water, add this slowly.
Do not add all the water in one go, add half a cup initially and add the remaining only if required.
¾ Cup - 1 cup Lukewarm milk
Flour has different absorption capacities depending on the flour type.
I used ¾ cup more water to get a dough that is smooth and not hard.
Slowly add the oil and knead the dough on high for 5-6 minutes until the dough starts coming altogether and has an elastic texture.
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
If kneaded by hand this would take around 8-10 minutes.
Once done, oil the bowl and let the dough rise for 1-1.5 hours or until double.

Once the dough is double in size, knead the dough again with your hand to release all the air.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
Dust your working surface with some flour.
Roll one piece of dough thinly around ½ a cm in width.
Roll roughly in rectangular shape.
Spread the nasturtium and garlic mixture on the rolled dough.
Go easy on the nasturtium mixture as nasturtium has a strong flavor and it might overpower.
If not using any greens, go to the next step.
Spread the grated cheddar cheese all over the dough, spreading it evenly.
1 Cup grated cheddar cheese
Slightly dab it with your hand or using a spoon.
Cut the dough into small rectangles.
Grab each of the rectangular bread and make a stack of it.
At one point make a stack of 4-5 rectangular pieces of bread.
Arrange the stacks in an oiled loaf tin.
Once you have filled the loaf, cover it and let it rise for 1-1.5 hours until the bread has risen slightly.

Preheat the oven to 180 Deg C or 350 Deg F.
Lightly brush the top with some milk. This step is optional but adds a golden colour to the top crust.
Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.
You might see that the bread might appear slightly wet after 35 minutes or so due to the cheese melting.
It would be good once the bread has been completely baked.
Let the bread cool down completely before cutting.
Slice or tear the bread and enjoy.