Pumpkin (Winter Squash) Yeast Bread — Weekend Cooking

Edited October 21, 2013. I’m linking this post to the recipe blog hop hosted by the new group, The Women of Midlife, because it’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog and perfect for this time of year (in the northern hemisphere).

Yeast breads take the place of other baked goods in my healthy diet. If I want cake, I make Chocolate Chip Bread. If I want apple muffins, I make Applesauce Bread. The flavors of my favorite treats can be baked into yeast breads with much lower fat, sugar, calories, and sodium. When I explained this philosophy in the spring (The Betrayal of the Muffin — Musings on Julia’s Child), Kim of Page after Page asked that I share my yeast bread alternative to pumpkin quick bread in the fall. So, today, I’m posting that recipe.

Pumpkin, of course, is a winter squash and any variety will work in this recipe. Canned pumpkin works, too. Last year, I even used frozen pumpkin pie filling — I just left out all of the sweetening and spices in the bread recipe.

For this loaf, I used acorn squash. I learned a secret for peeling it from my CSA newsletter. Dump the washed whole squash in boiling water for 15 minutes. A paring knife easily removes the peel from the ridges and a spoon will take up the stubborn parts in the troughs. I’m sure this method would work just as well for a small pumpkin.

After the boiling, the squash is about half-cooked. I scooped out the seeds, cut the squash into cubes, and microwaved for about five minutes before transferring to a food processor to make purée.

For the liquid in bread, I like to use up the whey that’s left when I make yogurt cheese (strained yogurt), but skim milk or water works just as well.

Bread Machine Winter Squash Bread
by Joy Weese Moll

1/2 cup whey, fat-free milk, or water
1 cup winter squash or pumpkin purée
1 Tablespoon raw or brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Grade B maple syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white bread flour
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 or 8 pieces
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons yeast

1. Mix the whey, squash, sugar, syrup, egg, salt, and vanilla.

2. Stir together the flours, the butter, and the spices.

3. Follow bread machine instructions for adding liquid and dry ingredients and the yeast.

4. Bake using the whole wheat bread setting.

With all those spices, this bread smelled like autumn wafted through my home.

Weekend Cooking is hosted at Beth Fish Reads. Check today’s post for recipes, reviews, and other foodie adventures.

Comments

Pumpkin (Winter Squash) Yeast Bread — Weekend Cooking — 30 Comments

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Beth F on October 13, 2012 at 8:30 am said:

Thanks so much for the peeling winter squash tip. I’m doing this with my next butternut squash (always deadly to peel). I happen to have a small acorn squash in the house right this second … hummmm. This would taste good with my leftover split pea soup.

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jama on October 13, 2012 at 8:45 am said:

Thanks for sharing your peeling tip and recipe. Love squash season. Yum!

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JoAnn on October 13, 2012 at 8:58 am said:

Thanks for sharing this recipe – I’m so glad Kim asked! My bread machine has been in the closet since spring and will make a return to the kitchen counter this week. I love pumpkin, but have never tried it in a yeast bread.

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Carol @ Always Thyme to Cook on October 13, 2012 at 9:14 am said:

Thanks for the tip! The bread loks fantastic. I can imagine it’s great flavor. I love the smell of freshly baked bread.

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Diane (bookchickdi) on October 13, 2012 at 9:17 am said:

I’ve never tried pumpkin squash bread, how interesting.

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Cecelia on October 13, 2012 at 10:38 am said:

I’ve made pumpkin yeast bread before with canned pumpkin, and it was delicious! In fact, that’s the only yeast bread I’ve ever made sans bread maker. Yours looks lovely!

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Alex Baugh on October 13, 2012 at 1:04 pm said:

This bread looks and sounds like it would be wonderful with a fall soup, I suppose because it is a yeast bread, not a sweet bread.

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caite@a lovely shore breeze on October 13, 2012 at 6:11 pm said:

I must work on my fear of yeast…

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Marg on October 14, 2012 at 5:43 am said:

Oh, good tip on peeling pumpkin. I have heard you can microwave it to help make it easier too.

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Laurie C on October 14, 2012 at 8:39 am said:

Mmmm! Squash/pumpkin rolls are a Thanksgiving tradition for us, but I never thought of using the same recipe for a loaf of bread! And maple syrup instead of brown sugar is a great idea, too.

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Joanna on October 14, 2012 at 3:18 pm said:

That’s an amazing philosophy and I’m sure it’s made a huge difference to your health. I still haven’t made your applesauce bread and here you are with another tempting recipe!

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Uniflame on October 15, 2012 at 3:13 pm said:

That bread looks simply awesome! I have no idea how pumpkin bread would taste, but I am surely willing to try

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Karen D. Austin on October 21, 2013 at 9:23 am said:

I love breads made with squash. They are yummy, but a bit heavy. It’s good to read that the bread machine can handle that heft. Oh, I want to fill the house with the smell of baking bread now. Ahhh. Thanks for linking up!

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grownandflown on October 21, 2013 at 10:27 am said:

Joy, this looks so good, thanks for the recipe. When the temperature drops, it just seems natural to bake more and warm the kitchen and house with the oven and the wonderful scents, too.

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Connie McLeod on October 21, 2013 at 10:29 am said:

It’s time I pulled out my breadmaker! I can’t wait to make this. I’m hungry now.

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Karen on October 21, 2013 at 11:06 am said:

That sounds great, Joy! I’ll have to give it a try. And I just had acorn squash for supper last night…

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Pam@over50feeling40 on October 21, 2013 at 11:09 am said:

This sounds so delicious…I am ready to make some. Glad I kept my breadmaker!
Thanks for sharing…

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Helene Cohen Bludman on October 21, 2013 at 1:39 pm said:

Joy, that bread looks scrumpdiddliumptuous (sp?). I love how you have modified your cake recipes so that they are more healthy. I wonder how I might adjust the directions so I could make this recipe without a bread machine.

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Cheryl on October 21, 2013 at 2:38 pm said:

This bread looks delicious! I have never used a bread machine before. Hmmm….

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Carpool Godddess on October 21, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:

I love home baked bread. It would disappear right away in our home.

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Renee on October 22, 2013 at 10:44 am said:

As a chef, left the baking of bread to the baker, but this looks yum…Can you send me a loaf..

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Marci Rich on October 22, 2013 at 11:57 am said:

Now this is ambitious! I’ve never made anything with real pumpkin before, but I’d be willing to give this a try—especially since you’ve included such a great tip for skinning the squash! Unfortunately, I sold my bread machine before one of my moves. Do you have baking instructions for using an oven instead?

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- Joy Weese Moll / @joyweesemoll on October 22, 2013 at 1:59 pm said:
  
  I think these instructions would work: http://www.ginnys.com/Convert-Bread-Machine-Recipes-to-Oven-Baked-Article.pro
  
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Nate S on January 5, 2014 at 1:30 am said:

I made the bread and it was great! It turned out great in our bread machine! (West bend model) thanks for the great recipe! We will definitely make it again very soon, like tomorrow!

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