Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough Centerpiece

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the dough hook, combine carrot juice, starter, and wheat germ and mix on low speed until well combined.

On low speed, add 5 ½ cups of the bread flour and process on medium speed until a slightly wet, sticky dough forms. Stop the machine and feel the dough for wetness. Add remaining ½ cup of flour if the dough is too wet. It should be slightly sticky.

Stop the machine and reach into the bowl and flip dough over so all bits of flour are incorporated.

Start the machine again at medium speed and process until flour is completely incorporated and continue mixing dough to knead it for approximately 3-5 minutes.

Stop the machine and cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the water from the carrot juice and create a high quality gluten which will produce a great crumb and structure to the bread.

Uncover the bowl and, on low speed, add salt and pumpkin seeds. Mix until salt and seeds are well incorporated. Dough will become more elastic and less sticky.

Place dough on an unfloured work surface and knead long enough to disperse and incorporate pumpkin seeds.

Grease a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough into bowl. Flip dough over so the greased side is up. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Place dough onto a work surface and using a dough cutter, divide dough in half. Round each half and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Flour 2 willow baskets or medium bowls.

Round each half of the dough to form a boule, and place each in a basket.

Sprinkle top of each round with some bread flour and cover lightly with plastic wrap.

Allow the two doughs to rise for approximately 1 hour. Dough may not rise much.

Cover each round in basket with plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight for approximately 12-16 hours.

The next day, loosen plastic wrap from the tops of the baskets and leave each basket with dough at room temperature for approximately 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Oil a cloche or round Dutch oven.

Cut 4 pieces of kitchen string approximately 32 inches long and place on a small plate. Drizzle approximately 1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil over all the pieces of string to grease each one thoroughly.

Lay 2 pieces of string in an “X” formation at the bottom of the cloche, leaving the overhang of strands on the outside of the cloche.

Take two more oiled string pieces and lay those in an “X” position 45 degrees from the first 2 string pieces. The strings will divide the cloche into eighths. Gently pour one round of dough into the cloche over string pieces. Do not attempt to move the dough after it has been placed onto the cloche.

Gently sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons rice flour over the top and a little down the sides of the boule and gently rub it just to distribute the flour to create a light white top.

Gather 2 opposite pieces of the string from under the dough and bring up to the top of the boule and tie into a knot trying not to cut through the dough. The string will bisect the dough in half. Gather and tie the opposite pieces of string that are at 90 degrees from the first piece and tie those into a knot on top of the boule. This should form an “X” across the dough.

Gather and tie the remaining 2 pieces of string 45 degrees from the original “X” forming another “X” so that there are 8 equal sections of dough marked off. These will bake and resemble the indentations of a pumpkin.

Using a razor, make decorative cuts as desired in each section including the top.

Cover cloche and bake for 30 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 375° Fahrenheit and uncover and continue baking for 15 more minutes.

Remove cloche from oven. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and gently cut and peel off string from the bread.

Remove bread to a cooling rack. Make a small hole on top of the loaf with a small, sharp knife.

Insert a cinnamon strip into hole to look like a pumpkin stem.

Place on a serving platter or wooden board to serve. Clean cloche by wiping it out with a moistened paper towel before baking off the other boule.

Repeat steps 16 through 28 for the other loaf.