Chop the pumpkin and steam it in a pan with just enough water for the pumpkin to turn soft. Puree the cooked pumpkin and allow it to cool before adding to the dough.
Put all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. Thereafter, add the pumpkin puree and mix.
Add lukewarm milk to your mixing bowl. Then add lukewarm water little by little and mix till you get a shaggy dough. Be careful while adding water. Don't add the entire quantity at one go. It needs to be a slightly sticky dough (not very loose.)
Transfer this dough to a kneading surface, add butter little at a time (to help you with the kneading) and knead for 10 – 12 minutes using the stretch and pull method. The dough will be sticky. Don't be tempted to add flour. Keep kneading till the dough is smooth and soft
Form this dough in the shape of a ball, tucking the ends beneath. Place it in a well oiled bowl and move the dough around a bit so that it gets oiled as well. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or with a cling wrap and keep it in a warm place. Allow it to double in size (usually takes 45 minutes to an hour).
Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it to release all the gases and knead it for a minute or two.
Roll out the dough in the shape of a rectangle and then fold it tightly like a log.
Seal the ends well. Place the log in a well oiled bread tin / mould. Apply a little milk or oil on top so that it doesn't dry out. I have used an 9'' inch tin here.
Allow the dough to double in size or reach the brim of the tin. Brush the loaf with milk and sprinkle seeds of choice.
In the last 10 minutes of the waiting time, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake the bread for 45-50 minutes till the crust turns golden in colour. If the top of the loaf starts to brown too much, just cover it with aluminium foil.
Remove the bread from the oven and apply butter on top. After 4-5 minutes take it out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before slicing it.
Slice and admire this golden delight!
