This pecan streusel pumpkin brioche babka is about as fallish as one can get. The crunchy, nutty streusel works beautifully with the soft, chewy pumpkin brioche and the rich, jammy filling.
2ozpalm sugar(may sub other unrefined sweetener or use brown sugar)
2teaspoonsfine sea salt
4ozpumpkin puree(about 1/2 cup)
4large eggs
1poundbread flour(you can use AP)
¾teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
3ozbutter6 Tablespoons or 3/4 stick, very soft but not greasy
For the Filling
2ozpomegranate molasses(See Note below)
2ozpumpkin puree
2ozpalm sugar(may sub other unrefined sweetener or use brown sugar)
2Tablespoonsginger syrup or ginger preserves
2sheets graham crackerspulverized to dust (use more for a firmer filling) These are also optional. To keep this bread completely refined sugar-free, use 2-3 Tablespoons of flour to bind the filling.
1/4-1/2teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
heavy pinch of salt
For the Streusel (optional but delicious)
3ozpalm sugar
3ozall purpose flour
3ozpecanstoasted and chopped
3ozcool butter
1/4-1/2teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
scant 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the Sponge
Stir the ingredients together in a bowl.
Cover and let sit at room temperature until very bubbly and light.
I let mine sit a good 4 hours to develop more flavor, but once it's bubbly and light, it's good to go (about 1-1 1/2 hours).
For the Dough
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the sponge, sugar, salt, pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix until fairly uniform.
Add the flour and mix/knead until you have a shaggy dough and all the flour is incorporated.
With the mixer on medium low, add the butter a bit at a time over the course of about 20 minutes until it is all incorporated.
Once the dough has finished kneading, it should be very smooth and shiny. It will clear the sides of the bowl but be pretty slack. It will flow off the dough hook like a very thick liquid but you should be able to handle it with oiled hands.
Oil up your hands and quickly shape the dough into a round. Place it back in the mixing bowl, smooth side up, and spray it with some neutral oil spray.
Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
To Shape and Fill
When nicely risen, spray your counter with some pan spray (you can use flour, but it will make your dough more dense) and plop the dough out onto the oiled counter.
Press out all the gases, spray the top with some more pan spray, and then roll it out into a large rectangle about 20" on the long side and maybe 16" or so inches on the short side. Try and keep it as rectangular as you can (I love a tapered pin for this--it gives you a lot of control).
Spread the filling evenly all over the dough--it will be a thin layer. Spread to within 1/2" of three sides and leave 1 1/2" plain on one long side.
Roll up the dough starting with a long side and rolling toward the side with the wider margin of plain dough.
Once you get to the end. Pinch the seam very well to seal and turn it seam-side down.
Cut off about 1/2" from either end of your cylinder and then cut the cylinder in half. Set aside one half for a moment.
Slice the remaining half lengthwise so you end up with two "half-pipes" of dough.
Place one half over the other half in the shape of a cross with the cut sides up.
Twist either end one or two times, and pinch the ends together.
Press the twists together from either end to compact them and gently fit the dough intob a 9"x5" loaf pan.
Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cover and let rise until the dough has expanded to fill out all the spaces in the pan, about an hour.
Liberally sprinkle the streusel all over the tops of the twists and then bake for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature is 195-200F.
Remove from the oven and let cool on racks for about 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the inside of the loaf pans to loosen any stuck-on streusel and turn out the loaves to cool to no warmer than 140F before slicing.
It's best if you wait until they're completely cool, but I won't make you do that if you're hungry.
To Make the Filling
Stir all the ingredients together until evenly combined.
To Make the Streusel
Add all the ingredients to a bowl.
Cut in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until completely incorporated and the streusel holds together like Play-Doh when squeezed. You don't want any sandy/floury bits left.
Break into wee pebbles of streusel.
Notes
If you don't have pomegranate molasses, you can make your own for this recipe. Reduce 16 oz pomegranate juice over medium heat until you're left with 2 oz. Once it starts to thicken, do NOT walk away. I ended up burning mine twice because I was doing other things.As an optional addition to your filling, you can sprinkle on a liberal amount of real chocolate sprinkles or microplane some of your favorite chocolate over the top of the filling before rolling your babkas.Nutritional information is calculated for 1/10 of a loaf, or 1 nice thick slice of babka.