Instead of pumpkin, try naturally sweet and moist butternut squash in this flavorful quick bread. Lightly spiced with a crisp and nutty pecan streusel top, serve it for breakfast with coffee and tea.
As soon as fall
arrives, I go into a quick bread frenzy until springtime. I cycle through
every kind of muffin and loaf imaginable, like this Butternut Squash
Bread with Pecan Streusel, dazzled by their simplicity and comforting flavors
and textures.
While pumpkin
gets all the attention in sweet dishes, butternut squash is actually better in
many baked goods. It’s naturally sweeter and creamier and adds a moist richness
to this delightful bread.
Butternut squash
bread hits all the right notes for a breakfast loaf—moist but tender, sweet but
not too sweet. It has just the right amount of spice, enough to celebrate the
season without overpowering the squash.
Equal parts oil and butter ensure a flavorful loaf that will stay moist for days. And with a crispy and nutty streusel top, it’s pretty enough for a bakery shop window. It’s a low key, low stress weekend project or weeknight bake (especially since it tastes even better the next day). Paired with tea or coffee, there’s nothing better on a chilly morning.
How to Make Butternut Squash Purée
I like to
roast butternut squash when making purée for a few reasons. It’s easy
and largely hands-off, results in the best flavor, and gives a nice texture to
the finished bread. You could boil or microwave cubed squash instead, but these
methods often introduce unwanted moisture into the purée and can make the bread
gummy.
Luckily, you can roast the squash up to two days ahead of time. Cool and tightly wrap the halves in plastic wrap. Or go ahead and make the purée and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
How to Use Leftover Butternut
Squash Purée
This recipe calls for roasting a whole butternut
squash. However, you won’t end up using all of it. It’s easy to double the
recipe if you’d like to make two loaves and use most of the roasted squash.
Otherwise, there are plenty of delicious ways to utilize the leftovers:
Make a savory butternut squash
and Parmesan sauce for pasta.
Make a creamy butternut
squash soup.
Mix it with cheese and stuff ravioli
or pasta shells.
Create a creamy filling
for enchiladas.
Add color and flavor to a fall
lasagna.
Leftover butternut squash purée also freezes well for
up to three months, so you can save the excess to make bread another day.
Can You Use Canned Purée
While the recipe calls for roasting the squash, you can use canned butternut squash purée. Canned pumpkin will also work in a pinch, although I think the flavor, texture, and color of butternut squash is superior in this bread.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is easy to adapt to your own
personal tastes. Here are some ideas to get you started:
· No Nuts: If you have a pecan
allergy or simply don’t care for them, leave them out. The streusel top without
the pecans will still add a crispy element.
·
Extra Nuts: If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and love nuts, you can add
more chopped pecans to the batter (up to 1/2 cup). Fold them in at the end.
Walnuts also work well in the topping and the batter.
·
No Topping: For a less sweet, more traditional loaf, leave off the streusel topping.
I recommend adding another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and, if you’d like a bit of
texture, add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the batter.
·
Chocolate
Chips: For an extra decadent bread, fold in up to 1/2 cup of
semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
· Non-Dairy: To make this bread
dairy-free, swap the butter in the bread for equal amounts of oil, and swap the
butter in the topping for non-dairy butter (or leave off the topping). I don’t
recommend swapping out the oil in the batter with butter, because an all-butter
bread loses its moisture quickly.
To keep the topping crisp, let the bread cool completely before wrapping it for storage. It will stay moist for about four days at room temperature.
You can also freeze it, but the topping gets a bit soggy once defrosted. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a zip top freezer bag, squeezing out all the air. Freeze it for up to two months. Defrost it in the fridge before serving
RECIPES
Butternut Squash
Bread with Pecan Streusel
PREP
TIME 20 mins
COOK
TIME 105 mins
TOTAL
TIME 2 hrs 5 mins
SERVINGS 8 to 10 servings
YIELD
1 (9x5-inch) loaf
While this recipe calls for one
whole squash, you’ll only end up using 1 cup of it after roasting and puréeing.
The leftover roasted squash can be added to soup, salads, smoothies or frozen
for the next time you want to make this bread. You could also use store-bought,
pre-cut butternut squash or canned squash purée.
Ingredients
For the squash purée
· 1 medium (about 2 1/2 pound) butternut
squash
· 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
For the bread
· Nonstick cooking spray for the loaf
pan
· 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
· 1/2 cup (105g) light brown sugar,
packed
· 1/4 cup canola or vegetable
oil
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted
· 2 large eggs
· 2 tablespoons water
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 medium (about 2 1/2 pound) butternut
squash
· 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable
oil
For the topping
· 1/3 cup (70g) light brown sugar,
packed
· 1/3 cup (46g) all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted
· 1/3 cup (42g) chopped pecans
· 1 pinch salt
For the bread
· Nonstick cooking spray for the loaf
pan
· 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
· 1/2 cup (105g) light brown sugar,
packed
· 1/4 cup canola or vegetable
oil
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted
· 2 large eggs
· 2 tablespoons water
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
1. Roast the squash:
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack set to the middle. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out using a large spoon. Rub both halves with the oil and place them cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Leave the oven on.
2. Purée the squash:
Scoop out the flesh and add it to a food processor. Discard the peel. Purée
the squash, scraping down the sides once or twice, until smooth. Measure out 1
cup (250g) for the recipe and store the rest for another use.
Return the 1 cup of squash to the food processor for the bread. Set this
aside while you make the streusel.
3. Make the streusel:
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the melted butter until a crumbly dough forms. Add the pecans and use your hands to toss and distribute evenly. Set it aside.
4. Prepare the loaf pan:
Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom and sides with a strip of parchment paper, forming a sling. Make sure the paper hangs over both sides—this will make removing the bread from the pan easier.
5. Mix the wet ingredients:
To the 1 cup of
butternut squash purée in the food processor, add the sugar, brown sugar, oil,
melted butter, eggs, water, and vanilla. Process to mix, scraping down the
sides once.
6. Mix the dry ingredients:
In a large bowl,
combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk to break up any lumps.
7. Combine the wet and the
dry:
Add the butternut
squash mixture into the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to
mix just until combined. A few small lumps of flour are fine.
8. Assemble and bake the
bread:
Scrape the batter
into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.
Bake it until
well-risen and the streusel has browned, about 1 hour. A cake tester or
toothpick inserted in the center all the way to the bottom should emerge clean
without any liquid batter. A few crumbs are okay.
9. Cool and serve:
Let the bread
cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Use the parchment sling to lift it out and onto
a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.
| NUTRITION FACTS(PER SERVING) | |
|---|---|
| 412 | CALORIES |
| 18g | FAT |
| 60g | CARBS |
| 5g | PROTEIN |