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We bought a huge pumpkin, I am talking 30 pounds or so here, at the pumpkin show last month. We were going to carve it for Halloween, but we never got around to doing it, so I was left to deal with this huge thing. I hate to waste food, that is one of the things that my parents taught me very well, to always eat all my food.

That’s why I spent one entire day cleaning, roasting and pureeing the monster pumpkin. I ended up with 2 gallons of yellowish pumpkin puree that I put in plastic bags and froze. Now I have enough pumpkin for the rest of the year, which is not a bad thing because we love pumpkin here. That also means that you will be seeing a lot of pumpkin recipes in the coming months. I hope you don’t get tired of it because I am pretty sure I won’t

Anyway, I have been experimenting new recipes to use all that puree. Kelly and Judy gave me an idea for dinner last week. We eat pizza at least once a week. I make my own sauce and crust so why not try a pumpkin crust? I made some minor changes to the recipe I always use for my dough and I used half of it for pizza crust and the other half for dinner rolls. Here’s what I did:

Pumpkin dough

For this recipe you will need:

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP salt
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 6 cups bread flour (you might need one more)
• 1 TBSP ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl mix 3/4 cup of warm water, yeast and sugar and let it rest for 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime mix 3/4 cup of water, butter and salt in a small pot over medium heat and stir until the butter is melted. If it is too hot let it cool until you can insert a finger without burning yourself. (Or you could use a thermometer to know when the water reaches 150ºF, but I trust my finger better)
3. Pour the water in the large bowl with the yeast and whisk very well.
4. If you have one of those big mixers, attach the dough hook and turn to medium speed. Add one cup of flour at a time. Add pumpkin puree and spices (optional) and let it beat the dough at medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add more flour as necessary.
5. If you don’t have a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients with your hand in the bowl until you can turn the dough into a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Add more flour if necessary.
6. If you are using the dough for pizza, divide it in 4 parts and place on a greased sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge at least one hour before you are ready to form your pizza crust and bake.
7. If you are using the dough for rolls, place it in a bowl and cover. Let it double in size once (1 hr approximately at 75ºF) Punch it in the middle to deflate. Transfer to a flour surface and cut it in 16 pieces. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and cover. Let it rise for 30-40 minutes and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown.

There you have it, a pumpkin dough with a very settled flavor and a beautiful color. If you are wondering what kind of toppings I used for my pizza, they are sausage, poblano peppers and mozzarella cheese. A simple and delicious combination.

¡Buen provecho!