AuthorSteve Nubie
Butternut squash is often referred to as a winter squash. It’s naturally sweet and high in both vitamin-A and beta-carotene. While the squash itself imparts little flavor to the bread it does make the bread extra moist and lends a light, orange color to the texture. We’re going to take it up a notch with the addition of pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar.
This bread is easy to make in your bread machine using the basic white bread setting. It’s great toasted with butter, makes a great sandwich bread, and any leftover slices are the perfect foundation for French toast.
There is one preparation step that involves boiling a whole butternut squash for 45 minutes. The squash is then cut in half, deseeded and scraped to collect a cup of soft squash. Any leftover squash can make a side-dish at dinner.
Something else to keep an eye on is the consistency of the dough during the kneading cycle. The moisture in the squash can vary. If the dough appears too wet, add a tablespoon of flour until it acquires a smooth and moist doughball consistency. If it appears too dry, add a warm tablespoon of water at a time to get the desired result.
And here’s a quick tip. The recipe calls for milk at 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Celsius. An easy way to get a ½ cup of liquid to that temperature is to microwave it in a Pyrex measuring cup for 30 seconds. It should feel slightly warm to the touch.
Add all of the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients section of the recipe.
Select the basic white setting for a 1.5-pound loaf and a medium crust.
When done, remove the loaf from the bread pan and let cool for 10 minutes.
Slice and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Add all of the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients section of the recipe.
Select the basic white setting for a 1.5-pound loaf and a medium crust.
When done, remove the loaf from the bread pan and let cool for 10 minutes.
Slice and serve.
Can you replace flour with a gluten free flour?
Yes, you can replace the flour with gluten free flour but I would try a few things. One, use 2 or more gluten free flours if you can. A rice flour and a buckwheat flour for example. You only want to use a total of 3 cups of flour but you can blend as many gluten free flours as you like. Two, it really helps if your bread machine has a gluten free setting. Some do and some don’t. The gluten free setting goes through an additional kneading and rise cycle and bakes the bread at a lower temperature longer to compensate for the lack of gluten. Yeast thrives on gluten and without it, the yeast struggles to grow and release carbon dioxide which causes a bread to rise. Three, be prepared to have a dense loaf. It should still be quite good and gluten free but gluten free breads are often denser and heavier than leavened breads made with regular flours. Hope that helps and good luck.
Steve
Steve, I love your recipes, thanks so much. I’m going to try this with frozen butternut squash (yes I’m one of THOSE people) I’ll let you know how it turns out. Right now I have your chunky apple bread baking. mmmmmm
Frozen fruits or vegetables work fine as long as they are fully thawed and at room temperature when you add them. And thank you, I really appreciate your kind words and I hope all of your baking adventures turn out great.
Steve