Beautiful bright sunny yellow summer squash is so abundant at this time of year, I cannot resist buying it. Which sometimes leaves me with a surfeit of squash. I make a delicious canned relish, casseroles and many other recipes, but this one came out of the blue. What to do with one extra squash? I ‘ve made squash and gruyere biscuits and summer squash muffins, so why not a yeast bread? I tinkered quite a bit and am very happy with the result. It produces a lovely, light bread shot through with golden strands of squash and a hint of that fresh summer savoriness.
I have found one medium size squash produces what I need, which is about 1 ½ of shredded – if you have a little less for the add in, that’s okay. I really like this simple and squash-centered, but you could absolutely add some chopped fresh herbs, like thyme or oregano. This makes a great slice slathered with butter but is sturdy enough for a killer summer tomato sandwich with a difference.
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Ingredients
1 medium yellow crookneck squash
¾ cup warm water (110-112 degrees)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
3 ¼ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Shred the squash on the large holes of a grater. Measure out ¾ cup and place in blender with the warm water. Blend to a puree. Place the remaining shredded squash on a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Put ¾ cup of the squash puree into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the drained, shredded squash, vegetable oil, honey and yeast and stir to combine, then add the flour and salt and stir. It will be very thick. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, then put the dough hook on the mixer and knead at medium speed for 5 – 8 minutes, until the dough is cohesive and a little bit tacky, but not very sticky and loose. Add a bit more water if needed. Pull the dough from the hook a few times and restart to get the dough evenly mixed. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1 ½ – 2 hours, until doubled in volume.
- Take the dough from the bowl, shape it into a log and place in a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan well sprayed with cooking spray. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour until doubled in volume. While the bread is rising, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the risen loaf for 30 – 35 minutes, until browned and cooked through and it reaches and internal temperature of 200 degrees. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
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