Pane Bianco Bread with Pumpkin and Feta

Sometimes throughout the year I come across recipes that I want to adapt to particular seasons or ingredients, and this happens to be one of them. I came across it for the first time this recipe for the White Bread as I scrolled through the bread section of King Arthur Flour (as I often do when I’m hungry and in need of carbs), and I immediately started drooling (always a sign of a must-have recipe!) while the sun-dried tomatoes + stuffing with basil it seemed really good, usually in the summer I don’t cook much because it’s too hot and I don’t want to turn the oven on for too long. But once fall rolls around and the weather gets foggy and spooky, I go into full baking mode. So I bookmarked it to try to make a fall version once fall arrives.

White Bread With Pumpkin Feta

And folks, that day has finally arrived! So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work tweaking the recipe for the fall flavor profile I had in mind. For the filling I used a pumpkin puree with lots of dried herbs and fresh garlic, along with crumbled feta and grated Gouda cheese. And people, damn lad did it come out well? Jeremy and I ate this giant loaf of white bread in a couple of days. There’s something about the sweet and savory combination of flavorful pumpkin with tangy feta cheese and comforting herbs that hits all the flavor hot spots I want to scratch in the fall.

So if you’re in the fall baking zone like me, I *highly recommend* making this loaf on one of your nice weekends or cozy evenings. I plan to do it again soon (possibly for Thanksgiving, if I’m not too busy with turkey and pumpkin pie! I’m also thinking about making mashed potatoes, which are different than mashed potatoes—more on that later!) I was out of town for the Adobe Max conference and then my photography workshop in Croatia for half of last month, so I’m Truly I enjoy coming home and going into deep nest mode with flour in my hands and some squash in the oven. And now that things are getting back to normal, I plan to post more regularly this month to give you some tasty new recipes to try over the holidays. Talk to you soon + don’t worry my friend!!

White Bread with Pumpkin and Feta

This white bread is made with creamy pumpkin, tangy feta cheese, and herbs for a fall version of this Italian-style loaf.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/pane-bianco-recipe

Total time 3 hours 15 minutes

Portions 12 generous slices

Bread Dough

3
cups
Flour
2
teaspoons
instant yeast
1 1/4
teaspoons
salt
1
large egg
slammed
1/2
cup
milk
warm
1/3
cup
waterfall
warm
3
spoons
olive oil
1
teaspoon
red chilli flakes
1
teaspoon
dried thyme
1/2
teaspoon
dried oregano

Stuffed with pumpkin and feta

1/2
cup
plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2
chopped garlic cloves
1
teaspoon
dried thyme
1/2
teaspoon
dried rosemary
1/2
teaspoon
dried oregano
1/2
teaspoon
garlic powder
1/4
teaspoon
black pepper
3/4
cup
crumbled feta cheese
(about 3 ounces)
1/2
cup
grated Gouda cheese
about 3/4 ounce

Bread Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add all the ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until a smooth, soft dough forms. Alternatively, you can mix all the ingredients together by hand with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to form, then knead it on a clean work surface until it forms a smooth, soft dough.
Place the dough in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil and cover. Let rise at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can place the bowl in the refrigerator to let it rise slowly overnight and resume the recipe the next day.

Stuffed with pumpkin and feta

While the dough rises you can prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the squash, garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper until smooth. Set aside for now.

Assembly

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean, lightly floured work surface. Pat it into a rectangle shape, then roll it out into a long, thin rectangle about 22 inches by 9 inches.
Using a rubber spatula, spread the pumpkin mixture evenly over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch gap around the edge. Sprinkle the crumbled feta and grated Gouda cheese evenly over the squash.
Roll the dough along the longest edge to form a long log and pinch each end of the log to seal the filling. Place the log on a lightly greased piece of baking paper on a large baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, starting 1 inch away from the end, cut off the top layer of the log and finishing about 1 inch away from the opposite end of the log, exposing the layer of pumpkin filling inside.
Keeping the cut side facing up, move the ends to form an “S” shape. Then, tuck the ends of the log under the center of the “S” to form an “8” shape. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or foil and let rise at room temperature away from direct sunlight until nearly doubled in width, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Uncover the bread and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove it and place foil on top to prevent the filling from over-browning, and bake until the internal temperature of half the loaf reaches 195 degrees Fahrenheit, about 20 to 25 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and let the bread cool before slicing and serving. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.