Published December 12th, 2018
A perfect pumpkin bread to serve holiday house guests
By Susie Iventosch
Photos Susie Iventosch Pumpkin-Squash Breakfast Bread
Recently, I made pumpkin bread using canned pumpkin, which turned out to be more like pumpkin cake (with caramel glaze) and realized that I wanted more substance to my bread. A quick online search produced the Macrina Bakery Squash Harvest Loaf recipe. Macrina supplies many of the coffee shops and retailers with baked goods in the greater Seattle area. I've had their squash bread and it is delicious! After reading through the recipe and seeing what we had on hand, I made several changes, one of which was to add some canned pumpkin in addition to freshly baked and puréed squash. Another was to add raisins to the batter. And, since I am a huge cardamom fan, I included that in the assortment of spices that make this bread so yummy. I also used some white whole wheat flour in place of all white flour, to give a little healthy boost. White whole wheat flour is made from hard white spring or winter wheat berries, and has the nutritional value of whole wheat flour, but milder in color, flavor and texture. It still includes the bran, germ and endosperm of the berries, all ground into the flour. The flour we normally see labeled as Whole Wheat Flour is made from the red spring wheat berry, and has a darker color and more robust flavor than the White Whole Wheat Flour.
If you plan on having holiday house guests, this bread is delicious and goes a long way, since it is chock full of goodies and quite dense. Double the recipe for two loaves.
For more on the difference between whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour, please visit: https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-whole-wheat-and-white-whole-wheat-flour-236647, or https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/hard-red-wheat-vs-hard-white-wheat/.
For more information on Macrina Bakery, please visit: https://www.macrinabakery.com/.
Susie can be reached at suziventosch@gmail.com. This recipe can be found on our website: www.lamorindaweekly.com. If you would like to share your favorite recipe with Susie please contact her by email or call our office at (925) 377-0977.

Pumpkin-Squash Breakfast Bread
(Makes one 9 x 6 loaf of bread)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked and puréed squash (Delicata, Acorn, or Butternut)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) milk mixed with 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins, soaked in boiling water and then squeezed dry of any excess water (I use Trader Joe's Jumbo Raisin Medley)
1/2 cup walnut pieces, roasted
1/2 cup pecan pieces, roasted
1/2 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), roasted, half for bread and half for topping
1 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup, packed, light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar for topping

DIRECTIONS
For squash: *It depends upon the kind of squash you choose in order to know how many to cook, but whatever the case, cut squash in half, and clean out seeds. Place cut side down onto greased baking sheet and cook at 400 F for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until a knife easily inserts and pulp is tender. Remove from oven and cool. Scoop out pulp and smash with a fork, or purée in a food processor. Use 1 cup of this purée for this recipe.

For nuts: Place nuts and pumpkins seeds on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 F for approximately 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For raisins: Place raisins in a small bowl, completely cover with boiling water and allow to sit for about 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain water and squeeze any excess water from raisins. Set aside.

For bread:
In a large bowl, place all dries, including flours, sugars, spices, nuts and half of the pumpkin seeds. In a separate bowl, combine squash purée, canned pumpkin, eggs, soured milk, oil, raisins and vanilla. Mix well. Add to dries and stir until well combined.
Pour batter into a greased 9x6 bread loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining half of the pumpkins seeds and the raw sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
*I used about 2 Delicata squash or 1.5 Acorn squash. I have not made it with butternut squash yet!



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