Kürbiskernbrot

Kürbiskernbrot is bakery-counter bread, not feast bread. You buy it for breakfast, Abendbrot, school sandwiches, a slice under cheese or smoked ham, and it holds its place because the crumb is mild while the green kernels do the talking. It belongs especially to the seed-heavy modern German loaf, with a southern and Austrian pull from the pumpkin-seed larder, though you'll find it north and west too, darker with rye in one shop, lighter with wheat and spelt in the next.

Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. In the north, I like it with a firmer rye backbone, good under herring or smoked fish. In the south, bakers often let spelt or wheat soften the crumb and push the roasted seed flavour forward. Neither side owns it. Das ist kein Bierzelt. It's a German everyday loaf, and the argument is only how dark and how sour you want the bread.

The single step that decides it is the seed soak. Dry pumpkin seeds steal water from the dough while it rises and again while it bakes, so the crumb tightens and goes stale early. Soak them first, then roast only the crust seeds if you want more smell. The dough keeps its water, the seeds stay tender, and the loaf cuts clean the next morning.

Bake it dark enough. Pale bread with expensive seeds is a waste of both. Weggeworfen wird nichts, and that includes flavour left on the oven floor because you were afraid of colour.