There’s nothing quite like a warm loaf of bread to keep you company on those cold days. And what’s a cozier bread than butternut squash bread?
Butternut squash bread is the ideal cold weather companion. Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but it has a warm, nutty, and sweet flavor.
That combination goes excellently with your favorite cup of tea and a good book! If you want to try out baking with squash, recipes are easy to manage.
To get you started, let’s dive into why you should choose this flavor in your next loaf – and how to make it!
Contents
Why Butternut Squash?
There are many types of squash loaf that call for different varieties of squash. However, the butternut kind is unique, because of its taste and high water content.
It possesses a flavor much like pumpkins or sweet potatoes, and, with the right ingredients, it can even taste like butterscotch! This makes it easily outshine any other squash bread recipe!
Where to Find Them
Butternut squash can be found in most markets and stores. They are shaped like a bell – with a slightly larger, round bottom and an elongated, curved top.
Butternut has a pale, cream-colored skin. The inside of butternut squash is a deep-orange, tasting sweet and slightly nutty. The riper the squash, the sweeter it is.
Health Benefits
Not only is butternut squash delicious, but it’s very nutritious! It’s a great source of fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, and other vital nutrients your body needs to survive.
It’s also a great food for those with digestion problems, as well as blood pressure issues.
Shelf Life
Even better, butternut squash is easily accessible.
As one of the most common types, it has a very long shelf life. So long it’s kept in a cool, dry place, it can last for several months.
How to Make Butternut Squash Puree
Butternut squash bread is very easy to make, because of one great ingredient: butternut squash puree.
Rather than being tasty and nutritious, the puree means that you don’t have to prepare numerous ingredients. Just add the puree with the other ingredients, and you’re good to go!
This recipe is ideal for making Butternut Squash Puree and can suit even a complete beginner.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized butternut squash.
- 1 bulb of garlic, whole.
- Olive oil (smoked, if possible).
- Salt.
- Freshly ground black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon of thyme, dried, crushed with your fingers.
- 1 large lemon.
- 3 tablespoons of butter, softened.
- 1/4 cup cream.
- 1 tablespoon of mustard.
- 1 tablespoon of parsley, fresh, chopped.
Procedure
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
- To prepare your butternut squash, slice off its stem. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin of the squash. Cut the squash in half, and remove the seeds. Chop the squash into one-inch cubes. (Note: You can also use these excess parts of the squash. You can throw the skin and stem into a stock to create a squash-flavored broth, or put them in a soup. You can even opt not to peel off the skin if you don’t mind the rougher texture. As for the seeds, you can toast them as a snack for later.)
- Take the bulb of garlic. Peel off the outer layers, making sure to keep the skins of the individual cloves intact, so that the bulbs remain whole. Slice off the top of the bulb, about a half inch from the pointed end.
- Take the two sides of your garlic and place them on the cookie sheet, the cut side face-down. Place the prepared squash on the sheet as well. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle some lemon juice and zest on top of the squash, and add thyme.
- Bake for about one hour. To check for doneness, poke the squash with a fork. It should be fully cooked and just starting to brown.
- Remove the cookie tray and let it cool slightly. Then, take the garlic and remove the cloves by squeezing them out of their skins. Place them in a food processor. Add the squash into the mix as well.
- Add butter, cream, mustard, and parsley. Process the squash until it is completely smooth. If your squash is lumpy, add in more cream to achieve a smooth consistency.
- To serve, place the mixture into a baking dish with a dot of butter. Then, bake just enough to melt the butter. Garnish with chopped parsley.
How to Make Butternut Squash Bread
Butternut squash bread is an excellent recipe for those who love squash or those who want a quick, healthy snack.
Butternut squash bread is very easy to prepare, as it’s just a matter of mixing the puree with the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, ground.
- 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, ground.
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, ground.
- 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, ground.
- 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, ground.
- 1 cup of butternut squash puree.
- 1 cup of granulated sugar.
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.
- 2 large eggs, beaten.
- 1/4 cup of water.
- 1/2 cup of toasted nuts.
Procedure
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place an oven rack in the center, and generously grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Set this mixture aside.
- In another bowl, combine the butternut squash puree, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and water. Stir until it is well blended.
- After mixing, add the flour mixture to this bowl slowly. Stir until just blended; do not over-stir.
- Lightly incorporate the toasted nuts into this mixture.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Alternatively, you can also use an instant digital thermometer to test your bread. The bread will be done at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing.
Enhancing the Flavor
If you’ve ever eaten home-made butternut bread before, you may notice the taste changes slightly a day after it’s baked.
Butternut bread becomes slightly nuttier and moister after 24 hours. So, it’s recommended to leave the loaf alone for a day before serving, so as to ensure the most flavor is gleaned from your final dish.
It’s also wise to cover the bread, either in plastic wrap or foil, while the bread sits. It will create moisture naturally, so covering it will ensure all that moisture is trapped in the bread.
Storing Squash Bread
Because it contains nuts and butter, cooked butternut squash bread can be stored in the fridge for two to three days.
You can increase its shelf life by covering it in foil or plastic wrap. You can also freeze this bread for several weeks.
To serve frozen butternut squash bread, first, thaw the bread and, then, reheat it in an oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes.
Here’s another example of how to make a butternut squash puree.
Making Butternut Squash Bread in a Bread Maker
Can you use a bread maker for your squash loaf? Absolutely!
If you have a bread maker, creating your butternut squash bread will be far easier.
Since it is a quick recipe, you can easily substitute ingredients to transform it into a ‘batter bread’ – or, bread that starts as a full batter, like cake. Just pop the batter in the bread maker, and you’re good to go!
However, because it’s a batter bread, you won’t see this loaf rise. Even still, the bread machine doesn’t make butternut squash bread taste any less good; you can still have the sweet, nutty flavor, without doing all the work.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup of water.
- 4 eggs.
- 2 2/3 cups of white sugar.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- 1 teaspoon of ground cloves.
- 2/3 cups of shortening or butter.
- 2 cups of butternut squash puree.
- 3 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour.
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
Procedure
- Add all ingredients, in the order indicated, into your bread maker.
- Select a course. If you want the machine to mix and bake the bread, select the cake bread setting. If you do not have this setting, or if you’re going to finish the bread in the oven, choose the dough course. Alternatively, you can also select the white bread setting if you only want the machine to mix the batter.
- If the machine isn’t cooking the dough for you, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease two, 9×5-inch loaf pans and pour in the mixed batter. Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Butternut Squash Bread Variations
Butternut squash can be adapted into nearly any recipe. You can add nuts, spices, fruits, and veggies to keep it in line with your tastes and dietary restrictions.
Or, if you’re getting tired with the usual butternut squash bread, you can mix it up with a few additions!
The following are some ideas on how to freshen up your loaf, all while keeping it tasty and nutritious.
Flax Butternut Squash Bread
This butternut squash flax bread from Delightful Mom Food isn’t just gluten-free, it’s nut-free, and dairy-free as well.
It uses flax meal to create an even healthier alternative, which also adds a whole new dimension of flavor to your bread.
A few smart substitutions also ensure that this recipe is excellent for people who can’t eat nuts, dairy, and gluten, making it a great recipe for potlucks.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour.
- 1/2 cup of ground flax meal.
- 1/4 cup of coconut sugar.
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
- 1 15-ounce can of butternut squash puree (or your own, home-made batch).
- 4 eggs.
- 1 cup of maple syrup.
- 1/2 cup of apple sauce.
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg.
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- 1 teaspoon of pink salt.
Procedure
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom of two, 8×5-inch bread pans using cooking spray or vegan butter and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together butternut squash puree, eggs, maple syrup, and applesauce. Set this mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, flax meal, baking soda, coconut sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is fully combined.
- Bake each loaf for 50 to 60 minutes. Let them cool for 10 minutes.
Healthier Butternut Squash Bread
For an even more nutritious recipe, you can easily substitute a few ingredients for healthier alternatives.
That makes it the perfect recipe for moms who want their kids to associate healthy with tasty!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of pureed butternut squash, skin on.
- 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar.
- 1/4 cup of honey.
- 4 large eggs.
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour.
- 2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder.
- 1/4 cup of raisins (optional).
- 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional).
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ground.
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce.
- A pinch of salt.
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- Take the pureed butternut squash and add sugar, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Then add flour, baking powder, walnuts, cinnamon, apple sauce, and salt. Mix together until lightly incorporated; be sure to not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into greased loaf pans.
- Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is bouncy when pressed down.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.
This video shows an example of how to make butternut squash bread.
Butternut squash bread is a tasty and easy recipe for you to try. Hopefully, this article has helped you make your own butternut squash bread. No matter the approach you take, your loaf is bound to be tasty and healthy!
Have you tried making butternut squash bread?