Twisted Squash Bread with Smoked Cheddar, Red Onion & Sage
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
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Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • Squash bread:
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 Tbsp warm water
  • ⅓ cup warm milk
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup cooked, mashed squash (acorn, butternut or red kuri/red hubbard)
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 cups flour
  • .
  • 4 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 Tbsp honey mustard
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small bunch fresh sage, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups Applewood Smoked Cheddar, grated
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Set aside until foamy.
  2. In a large bowl, combine squash, milk, butter, salt, egg, brown sugar, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour. Add additional flour slowly as needed until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out on to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, roughly 8-10 minutes. If the dough is sticking, sprinkle additional flour in as needed. Squash dough will be softer and more moist than regular bread dough so don't be afraid of dusting with more flour if you find it's too sticky.
  3. Place kneaded dough in a bowl and coat lightly with olive oil. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
  4. Melt a knob of butter in a medium pan and cook onions until soft but not caramelized- roughly 10 minutes. Set aside. Prep the rest of your mise-en-place (walnuts, sage, cheddar). Combine melted butter and mustard in a bowl.
  5. Preheat oven to 350. Line two loaf pans with butter or parchment paper (both work really well, it's just a matter of convenience and personal preference).
  6. Punch down the risen squash dough and cut into two portions. On a floured surface, roll one of the portions out into a rectangular shape. Brush with butter/mustard sauce. Sprinkle half the onions, walnuts, sage and cheddar on to the rectangle and the roll it up from the short edge in creating a tight 'jelly roll'. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
  7. Using a very sharp knife, cut eat jelly roll of dough in half lengthwise. Pinch the ends of each halved roll together and braid them, one over the other, finishing the other end by pinching that dough together. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise a second time for approximately an hour.
  8. Place a twist in each of the loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time so they cook evenly. If the bread is browning too fast, move it to a lower rack in the oven and cover the top with a piece of aluminium foil.
  9. Let the loaves cool in the pan for 5 minutes before running a knife along the edge of the loaf and removing it from the pan. Serve warm- sliced or torn- with a scrape of butter or more honey mustard!
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/twisted-squash-bread-with-smoked-cheddar-red-onion-sage/