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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.
Just wondering what the nutrition facts are for the base recipe above without any extras or substitutions? Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade by asking!
I made this and…It was indeed, PERFECTION! I obsessed and spread some leftover puree on a slice…OMG!
this is in the oven and it smells A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! I tested the puree a few times and had to tweek it a little bit before I was happy with the taste. I know my girls will eat this and they won’t know they are eating vegetables!
This bread to delicious! Absolutely love it! My new favorite. Thank You for the recipe.
Just made it. Love it!
YUMMM! Jamie I have just confirmed your awesomeness in person and chose this bread to usher myself into the world of using your great recipes. I was at the grocery store yesterday shopping for a breakfast picnic I just came back from and there the butternut squash were – all friendly and delicious. I immediately thought of this bread and bought the squash. I made a few adjustments and am amazed at how well it turned out. I’m about to make another batch with yet more adjustments to make it a bit healthier but this is what I already did:
I replaced the eggs with apple sauce and baking powder. I used yellow sugar instead of brown. I replaced the vegetable oil with sunflower oil and lastly I used whole wheat all purpose flour instead of white and skipped the cardamom.
My friend adored it and I gave her the rest of the loaf for her family. I’m about to attempt a second loaf also substituting half the oil for apple sauce like suggested above, adding ginger and cutting out the white sugar entirely and substituting it with yellow and/or brown. I can’t wait! This is sooooooo gooooooodddddddd!!! I’m going to give this one away at the office so I don’t eat the whole thing. I already had two slices for breakfast! It’s addictive. Also if you were using fresh sage how much would you add to this bread?
i must say after reading the 5 paragraphs preceding the recipe, i honestly had no interest to read the recipe. you sound too self absorbed and anal. not everything in life has to be perfect. i’m not perfect and neither are you or ever will be. learn to live life and relax and bit ;)
What do you think about adding butterscotch morsels??? Thanks!
Annie-
That sounds delicious. Let me know how it turns out.
Jamie
I had some sweet dumpling and sunshine hybrid squash that needed cooked, so I baked them and mashed them together to use in this bread. It was really delicious. I sprinkled chopped pecans on top. The outside is slightly crunchy, and the inside is moist and dense without being heavy. I think the recipe would work well with any type of vegetable puree, if you’re looking for a sweet bread. Delicious!
Sounds great, and judging by the comments above this recipe works, but I’m still slightly worried. Before I try it, can you explain how the bicarb works without an acid in the mix?
This is great… I picked up some cubed squash on sale today at the grocery store and I was going to make soup out of it, but I think I am going to make this instead!
Thanks so much!