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Butternut Squash Bread is full of autumnal flavors that only get more complex with time. This moist and delicious quick bread may just become your new favorite fall treat.
If you happened to catch my post last week for Apple Cinnamon Muffins, you may remember me coming up empty handed in my search for canned pumpkin puree. Well, many of you came to my rescue and a couple of you even emailed offering to ship me cans. Thanks for having your girl’s back!
However, several of you emailed me to say that Aldi shelves were pretty stocked with pumpkin puree. I’m not a regular Aldi shopper, but my friend Erin is and she just so happened upon a pumpkin jackpot at Aldi this past weekend and graciously dropped 6 cans onto my front porch.
If you can’t find it in your area, Aldi just might be the place to go to score a few cans. In the meantime, I think you should whip up this Butternut Squash Bread. It’s light, sweet and perfect for fall!
THE PERFECT BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD RECIPE
I have issues with perfection. I am always searching for it: the perfect recipe, the perfect pair of shoes, the perfect arch in my brows.
Obviously perfection is relative and varies from person to person, but for me, the search is endless and sometimes exhausting.
Rarely do I claim that a recipe is perfection. Why? Well, because I am always tweaking and fiddling with things to make them…well, closer to my version of perfect.
However, this recipe for Butternut Squash Bread may just define perfection for me (at least in my warped sense of the word).
The combination of flavors and the texture of this bread is truly amazing, and it only seems to get better over time. It’s delicious on day one, but by day two it transforms into a lovely moist bread full of rich, autumnal flavors.
It is very similar to my favorite Pumpkin Bread but with a slightly lighter texture.
I love this Butternut Squash Bread paired with a cup of hot chai or a London fog for breakfast or with a smear of butter for a late night snack.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD
Remember the Butternut Squash Puree from earlier this week? I told you that you’d want to save some for making some Butternut Squash Bread!
To make this bread, start by grabbing your puree, either freshly made or thawed from the freezer if you made some ahead of time.
Whisk together the squash puree with eggs, oil, water, and both white and brown sugars.
(Psst! Ever wondered about the differences between the types of sugar? My handy guide lays it all out!)
Separately, whisk together the dry ingredients, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir the dry ingredients into the squash mixture, pour it into your loaf pan, and bake.
Pretty simple, right?? Like most quick bread recipes, this one is pretty straightforward, making it easy to whip up by yourself or great to make with kids.
SUGGESTED MIX-INS FOR THIS BREAD
Butternut Squash Bread is amazing as-is, but you can also get creative and make this recipe your own if you’d like.
You can try adding semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even some dried cranberries to the batter before baking.
You could even mix up some cinnamon-sugar and sprinkle it on top of the batter before you bake the bread to give the bread a bit of a crunchy topping, similar to what I do with Dominique Ansel’s Banana Bread.
Whether you make it as written or decide to toss in some mix-ins, I know you’ll love this bread as much as we do!
Butternut Squash Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, water and sugars until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture. Combine just until incorporated; do not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Butternut Squash Puree
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; diced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and toss the seeds. Place the halves flesh-side-up on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the diced butter and brown sugar evenly on both halves.
- Roast for 45-60 minutes or until the butternut squash can easily be pierced with a knife.
- A liquid mixture of butter and brown sugar will form in the wells of the squash, make sure you include this deliciousness with the puree.
- Remove squash from the oven; allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and liquid and place into your food processor or blender.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; pulse until you reach a creamy consistency.
- If you are serving this delicious puree as a simple side dish, adjust the seasoning to your taste and toss in a couple more tablespoons of unsalted butter. If you are using it for Butternut Squash Bread, leave the puree as written.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
THANK you for developing and publishing this recipe. It is literally one of the best recipes I have ever made in my entire life, and I’ve been cooking seriously for almost 30 years. If I could live on this, I just might try. ;-) I made it in early December for the first time, and then several batches which I used to make Christmas gifts for friends. Note that I actually make it with a squash called a candyroaster that is grown in the southern Appalachians. The candyroaster is a HUGE squash, but the flavor and texture is very similar to butternut. I know that if I run out of candyroaster during the year (only available in the fall months), I can work with butternut squash instead. The bread is amazing. and all the gift recipients have enjoyed it too. I just made it with cardamom today for the first time, because I didn’t have it onhand before now, and I am so intrigued by the warmth that spice has left lingering on the tongue. Again, I really cannot thank you enough for the gift of this recipe. I agree with you, it is perfection.
Delicious bread! I had to bake it 70 minutes, but that’s probably because I kept opening up the oven to see if it was done. I substituted a combination of ground ginger and ground cloves for the cardamom because I didn’t have any. I also used milk instead of water. This recipe was simple to put together and tastes sweet and spicy like Fall. Thank you for the recipe. I did use a 9 inch by 5 inch pan. The batter filled it up three-quarters of the way.
I forgot to add that I used regular table salt and I did not use nutmeg because I don’t like nutmeg. It was still plenty sweet, but not overly sweet.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Gloria! Thanks for stopping back to leave your feedback! Happy baking!
-Jamie
Can you substitute cardamom for something else?
Latoya-
You can just omit it if you don’t have any. I hope this helps!
-Jamie
Hi again!
but what about the quantity of honey or Mabel syrup? Because I think one and half cup of sweetener is far too sweet!
Hi, Wafa! The level of sweetness is a personal preference, but if you’d like to decrease the level of sweetener, feel free. Let me know how you like it!
How can replace the sugar in the recipe?
A. Both qualities of White and brown,
B. White only
Hi, Wafa! You can pretty much substitute brown sugar and white sugar interchangeably. The texture and taste may be a little different, but it should still be delicious. You could also try substituting honey, but I’ve never tried it in this recipe. Did I answer your question? Let me know!
Hi Jamie! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. Out of curiosity, why add the 1/4 cup of water? I certainly don’t wish to insult you or anyone else, but it just seems to be a missed opportunity to add another flavour or a flavour builder. Thank you in advance for your time answering my question.
Hi, Kendra! The water loosens up the texture of the batter giving you a lighter bread. If you’d like to adjust the recipe to your liking, please feel free. I’d love to hear the outcome!
I made this up using a fairytale pumpkin. It was absolutely FABULOUS. Moist and great tasting. It’s a new family recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that, Linda!
can you make this with baby food squash
Hi, Lisa! That’s an interesting question….the butternut squash puree I have on my site is seasoned with other things like butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, so I don’t think using baby food would work. I hope you give the recipe a try! Let me know how it goes.
I had an extra butternut squash laying around so I made this today. Excellent recipe! Especially liked the cardamom in it. I added 1/2 cup broken pecans and instead of the 1/4 cup of water, I used 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk. Will definitely try again. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jane! Your additions sound wonderful!
I use Blue Hubbard Squash puree when in season and a combination of spices I bring back from my international travels. Family, friends, and coworkers always RAVE about this bread and it’s now one of my “go-to” recipes!
That’s wonderful, Gayle! I’m so glad everyone likes it!