Published December 25, 2018
Squash-Pumpkin Bread recipe redo
By Susie Iventosch
Photo Susie Iventosch Pumpkin-Squash Breakfast Bread
Sometimes there are mix-ups in communication and we had a few with this recipe in the last issue. If you thought it was a lot of pepitas and nutmeg for one loaf of bread, you were right! But, because this bread is so yummy, I wanted to run it again, but with the correct amount of each ingredient. My apologies to anyone who tried the bread from the last issue. I am including the entire story below, so you will have a proper copy this week. After seeing the mistakes, I needed a good stiff drink and began to think about festive holiday cocktails and decided to make my own hot buttered rum batter. I hadn't had one in years and I forgot how delicious they are. This batter will stay in the refrigerator for several weeks, and during the cold winter months it's a great go to, when there's a chill in the air.

Squash-Pumpkin Bread-updated

Recently, I made pumpkin bread using canned pumpkin, which turned out to be more like pumpkin cake 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 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/.
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, roasted, (green pumpkin seeds), 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. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.
*I used 2 Delicata squash, or 1.5 Acorn squash, but have not yet tried it with Butternut squash.

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 in 350-degree oven for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in bread comes out clean.

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.




Reach the reporter at:

back
Copyright Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA