Once upon a time, I was part of something magical.

I worked at a bakery. 

Holley, really?, you might say. A bakery was magical?

Indeed. It was. And if you have ever been to an excellent bakery, you may be currently nodding and saying, “Yes!,” and having all sorts of lovely remembrances of the yummy things you tasted and wishing you could apparate there right now. 

I worked at a bakery. And, yes, it was magical. 

First, there was the bread. Dakota Bread, a whole wheat loaf chock full of crunchy seeds and honey. Light and fluffy Cheddar Garlic with puddles of crispy cheese that had oozed onto the baking sheet. Everything Twists, a take on an everything bagel whose seasoning mix I greedily inhaled every time we opened its bucket. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Tea Bread and Muffins. Berry Bran Muffins. Blondies and Peanut Butter Cookies. Ooey gooey Cinnamon Rolls that I would slather with extra frosting. Challah, every Friday. It made the most marvelous French toast.

The bread was magic, I tell you. 

Then, there were the samples. When a customer at the bakery walked in the door, they were greeted with, “Hello! Would you like a slice of bread?” And then an employee cheerfully sliced you a thick, often still warm, piece of bread, pointed you to the crock of salted butter just waiting to be slathered on, said, “Enjoy!,” and then offered you another slice if you wanted more. 

Warm, buttery slices of bread on the repeat? Magical. 

Then, there was how much fun it was to work there. The owner of this bakery had the gift of making it a delightful place to work. We would gather around the kneading table in the mornings and play games while we worked the bread. We often sang along to music, every day a different satellite radio station. We talked, a lot. And when the inevitable mistake was made, grace was given (I never got the hang of decorating the loaves with a knife. And yet they kept letting me try). 

I came to this bakery at a very hard time in my life. That’s another story for another day. Suffice it to say, I really needed to experience something magical. Something filled with warmth and life and just plain goodness. 

I found it. At the bakery.

Or maybe it found me. 

Like I said. Magical.

One of my favorite breads from the bakery was the Cinnamon Swirl loaf and its seasonal counterpart, the Pumpkin Swirl loaf. I loved the prettiness of the swirl, the sticky sugary goo, the spiciness of it. Today, in honor of a most magical and pumpkin-y holiday, I'm sharing my take on Pumpkin Swirl Bread. I've recreated it here so that you can make it without any special equipment. Be messy and dive into it with your hands! All will be well! I've included photos at the end of the recipe for reference if you need them. 

I also took a note from King Arthur Flour's Cinnamon Swirl Bread and used an egg wash to help the swirled layers adhere to themselves; this helps to prevent gaps in between your layers. If you'd like to make the bread vegan, skip the egg and use melted vegan butter instead. I did in the loaf above and while there were some gaps, I was not at all troubled by them. This bread is delightful toasted in the oven with butter. You may also be inspired to make it into a sandwich with cream cheese, bacon, and sliced apples. This would be a wise choice. Not vegan. But wise. And perhaps a wee bit magical? 

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Adapted from: Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Ingredients:
Dough:
*Make sure all dough ingredients are at room temperature*
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus a bit more for kneading if necessary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup room temperature water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 packet instant yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus a bit more for drizzling the bowl
1 cup canned pumpkin (or substitute pureed roasted butternut squash, kabocha squash, or pumpkin) 

Swirl:
1 large egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water (or 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the first 4 ingredients (whole wheat flour through pumpkin pie spice). Pour dry mixture into a pile onto a clean countertop and make a well in the center. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining dough ingredients (water through pumpkin). Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the flour pile. Using a fork, pull in the flour from the edges of the pile toward the well. Continue to do this until mixture has become crumbly. Using your hands, draw in the remaining flour, patting and pushing the dough until it has formed a fairly cohesive lump with most of the stray flour incorporated. Knead dough for 5 minutes until it is a smooth, heavy, uniform ball.

(Kneading notes for newbies: To knead, fold the dough in half towards you, pushing down firmly with the heel of your hand. Rotate the dough a 1/4 turn and repeat. If the dough starts sticking to the counter, scrape the counter clean, rinse and dry your hands, sprinkle the counter and your hands lightly with flour, and proceed with kneading. Sticky dough will stick to other sticky dough, whether on your hands or the counter. I learned this at the bakery. Also, five minutes of kneading will feel like an eternity. Set a timer, make a mental note to add more pushups to your exercise routine, and carry forth. Maybe turn on the satellite radio and sing along. You can do it.) 

Pour a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil into a large bowl and swirl it around. Place the dough into the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, cozy, humid place (I like to heat some water in my microwave, then shut my dough bowl right in there with the cup of water). Let dough rise until about doubled in volume, anywhere from 45-90 minutes depending on how cozy a place you put it.

Shape the loaf: After the dough has risen, gently punch it down to deflate it a bit. Place dough on a clean, lightly floured counter. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it's a 8" x 20" rectangle. Brush the egg mixture (or vegan butter) onto the dough, reserving a bit of it. Evenly sprinkle the dough with the sugar, followed by the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Using your hand, lightly rub the sugar/spice mix to combine. Starting at one short end of the dough, tightly roll up it up. Pinch the seam closed (don't forget this or you'll lose your goo. It happened to me). Spray a 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Place the rolled dough into the prepared pan and brush with remaining egg wash (or vegan butter). Lightly cover with plastic wrap and put it right back in its cozy place. Let loaf rise until the top of it is about 1" from the top edge of the pan, again about 45-90 minutes.

Bake it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, adjust the oven rack to lower middle position, and remove the plastic wrap from the dough. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when you knock it on the bottom. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it. I store my loaf wrapped in parchment paper on the kitchen counter. Yield: 1 gorgeously swirly loaf, cut into 8-10 fairly thick slices.