Bread Redemption

Yet again, I've been totally slacking on the bread front. At this point, I don't even know how many Healthy Bread in 5 assignments I've blown off. I won't profess to feeling too guilty, since my waistline is probably in better shape because of my slacking. I'd love to blame my busy schedule, but we all know that's a total crock. Maybe it's the onset of fall that made we want to bake some bread this week, maybe it was all of the amazing things other people are baking (like this crazy Marigold Honey Wheat Bread Heather made and these Homemade Chorizo Rolls), or I could just be in the mood to carb load again. Whatever it is, I peeked at my assignment sheet and lo and behold, we're back where we started! Pumpkin Pie Brioche was the first bread we baked as a group, and one of the only recipes you can find online, so you don't have to go get the book. Mine was a disaster. I saved it by turning it into Bread Pudding, but still. I needed to redeem myself.

First, remember to double the spices for a better flavor punch! I made half a batch and baked a loaf of Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread. Just roll out a lb. of brioche dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and spread it with a mixture of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Roll it up and bake as directed for a loaf. So good toasted with butter, and I imagine it would make for some slammin' french toast! I decided to get a bit more creative with the leftover dough and use up some lingering ingredients in the fridge. If you make a half batch of the brioche dough, you'll have enough pumpkin left for this recipe. Heaven on a plate, bitches. Heaven.

Pumpkin Pie Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars


Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Pumpkin Pie Brioche Dough
1/2 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1/2 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 8 oz. container of mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 glass baking dish. Flour a board and the dough and roll out to a 1/8 inch thickness.  Slide the dough into your baking dish, pressing dough up onto the sides. Trim any excess dough with a knife or kitchen shears. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing filling.
In a medium bowl, beat pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and one egg. Set aside. In a second bowl, beat mascarpone and remaining 2 eggs until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, sour cream, and sugar. Pour into cooled crust. Top with pumpkin mixture and swirl with a knife. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

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