A Very Faux Turkey

The other day, I saw one of those Tofurky faux turkeys at the grocery store.  And it got me thinking.

Sure, some vegetarians miss the taste of meat, and these are the individuals for whom such a product is appropriate.  Yet, there are also many who became vegetarian for the purpose of avoiding meat’s taste, or who have long since stopped missing it.

In the aisle of the store, I pondered this and decided to make yet another meatless faux turkey alternative.  One that neither tastes nor smells like turkey, and only looks like a turkey for the purpose of Thanksgiving tradition.  In fact, this faux turkey has a lightly sweet cinnamon aroma.  Better than actual turkey?  I think so.

Faux Turkey Bread

• 3-1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 package (0.25 ounces) instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water (120-130 degrees F)
• 6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3-1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon skim milk (for egg wash)

1. Stir together flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a mixing bowl.  In a small separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, egg, and oil.
2. Using an electric mixer with dough hooks, combine water and dry ingredients.  Add pumpkin mixture and mix until well-combined.  Dough will be moist. 
3. Roll dough out onto a lightly-floured surface.  Knead it for several minutes, gradually adding more flour to the moist dough.  Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl and let rise, covered, for an hour.
4. Punch out air from dough.  Roll dough ball out onto lightly-floured surface.  Shape it into a thick disc.  With scissors, cut off somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of the dough circle.  As if slicing a pie, cut the half-sphere in half.  As if slicing a pie again, divide these two pieces in half as well.  Shape two pieces into “wings” and two pieces into “legs.”
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Shape the remaining dough into a “body” and place onto sheet.  Add on the “wings” and the “legs,” firmly pinching to seal.  Let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare egg wash with egg and milk.  With a pastry brush, brush egg wash on the bread.
7. Bake for roughly 30-35 minutes.  If turkey is browning too much, tent with aluminum foil.    

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Tagged as: Bread, cinnamon, ginger, Holiday Food, Main Dishes, pumpkin, Thanksgiving, turkey, vegetarian, yeast, yeast bread