Pumpkin Pie Brioche results

I am very thankful to Michelle, our intrepid leader at HBin5 http://groups.google.com/.  Otherwise I would have never tried this bread.  While it didn't come out as pretty as some others in the group...I am happy with it.  Next time however, I will make the regular brioche recipe in Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day.  :-) 

My neighbors and co-workers, the recipients of today's efforts will be delighted.  Why not keep it all to my husband and I?  I decided to put the cream cheese frosting on the muffins and the bundt loaf...my husband is diabetic and we don't usually eat sweet stuff like this, except in small amounts.  I did leave one loaf for us with just an eggwash on it.  :-) 

Onto the process!  The recipe is located on page 284 of the Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day and is extremely easy.  The dough is very loose even after 18 hrs in the frig. 

I was trying to braid it first and quickly gave up on that!  And considering how many braided loaves of challah I have done over the past 20 years, that is saying something!  So I look one "lump" of dough that I was trying to braid and smushed it flat, spread soft butter on it and sprinkled more allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon on it.  Then I folded it over, pinched it and put it in a bundt pan. 

Next I took out the rest of the dough, made 12 cupcake size muffins, 2 large muffins, and one small loaf of bread.  I washed all of them with an egg wash to give them a shine, but as suggested by Michelle I put streusel topping on the small muffins right before I baked them. 

All of them go into the oven at 350.

Ready to take the muffins out of the oven.  I let the loaf and the bundt pan stay in a few more minutes.  But I should have taken the muffins out about 5 minutes earlier.  I made that note in the cookbook. 

I immediately tore one of the small muffins open and checked the crumb...still piping hot and steaming!  The scent of pumpkin pie drifted gently up to my nose, and I took a bite.  What a delight!  Still bready, but light, and not as sweet as a regular pumpkin muffin would have been! 

Five minutes later I took the loaf out, as it was perfect! 

Five more minutes and I took out the (LOL!) misshapen bundt.  I had tried to level it out after putting the dough in the pan but it still came out lopsided.  Oh well! 

As you can see from the picture above, my decorating is rudimentary.  I do not have the steady hands needed for pretty decorating.  But that's ok.  The recipients will love it anyway! 

Great fun! 

ONE FINAL COMMENT:  Results are in.  Those tasters that like or love or prefer the quick style pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie said "it doesn't have enough pumpkin flavor!"  Some added "it's not sweet enough".  But those that don't care for pumpkin bread (quick bread version) or don't really eat pumpkin pie loved the brioche for the mild pumpkin flavor and lack of overly sweet.  :-)  Thanks all for the comments!