Green Squash Bread
Cold fermented, soft white bread using green winter squash. This recipe makes one loaf of bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup/80g green winter squash (boiled and mashed)
- 1/2 cup/110g reserved squash cooking water
- 2 1/2 cup/300g all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour for mixing in during kneading process
- 3 tbsp/40g butter, softened
- 2 rounded tbsp/30g white sugar
- 3/4 tsp/5-6g salt
- 1 1/2 tsp/5g active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yoke *optional
Instructions
- All ingredients (except flour and butter) should be COLD. In a large bowl combine the squash, squash water, salt, sugar, yeast, egg and butter. Mix as well as you can. Butter will be a bit chunky looking (that's okay).
- Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix to a dough in the bowl.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and KNEAD for 8 minutes gradually adding flour from your reserved 1/2 cup as needed.
- Once the dough is smooth and elastic, shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day
- Flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into an oval. Roll the dough into a log (starting at the narrower end and squeezing out any air bubbles as you go).
- Pinch the seam together and place the log (seam side down) into a greased loaf pan.
- Press the log down into the bottom of the pan.
- Cover the pan with a damp towel and allow the dough to RISE until double (about 3 hours)
- In the last hour of rising:
Preheat oven to 320° F
- optional: You can put a pizza/baking stone or a cast iron skillet or griddle on the oven rack to preheat also. Placing your bread pan on this during baking can add to a more well browned crust and aid in more even baking.
- After the bread has risen until double. Brush the top with egg yolk.
- Bake for 40 minutes
- Let your bread rest for 5 minutes (on the counter on a rack) then remove the bread from the loaf pan and let it cool.
Notes
Freezing instructions: Once you have kneaded the bread for 8 minutes and have a nice smooth dough. Shape it into a ball and rub it with a thin coat of olive oil or butter. Slide the dough ball into a freezer zipper bag (or two) and freeze. It will keep nicely in the freezer for 3 months. Two days before you plan to use the dough. Remove it from the freezer bag and place it into a greased/buttered bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow to thaw in the fridge for two days. After that, shape the dough and let rise for 3 hours and bake as instructed.
If you wish to make rolls, please watch the time on your baking, as it will most likely take less time then a loaf. I'm not sure what that time is, so keep an eye on things!
