It's not quite the Fall equinox yet, but its been a cloudy, balmy 85 degrees here....and in the Ol' Pueblo that's downright Fall temperatures. Fall may mean the end of Summer and back to school, but it also means football's back, hunting season is here, and the kitchen is full of Summer produce waiting to be gobbled up. I recently acquired a Kabocha squash, the lesser known Japanese cousin to the acorn squash. Don't ask how I ended up with a Winter squash in the middle of the desert Summer...that is a mystery I can't yet explain. This Kabocha was big (about the size of my head) so I figured the easiest, most versatile way to prepare it was simply to cut it in half, roast it, and puree it down for later use. The first bit of puree turned into a rustic, cheesy sauce for pasta and turkey sausage. That was a perfect Summer-time recipe, but I was still wishing for something a little more earthy, more Autumnal. Thus came this recipe--I simply took a pumpkin bread recipe, replaced the pumpkin with its Asian counterpart, and voila...delicious, wholesome Kabocha bread to enjoy over a cup of coffee and a 10 AM kick off time. This really is my favorite season of all.
Kabocha Bread
1 cup Kabocha (or acorn or butternut or pumpkin) puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup pecan pieces (optional)
Grease a 8x4x3 inch loaf pan. In a bowl mix together Kabocha puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add 1/2 cup at a time of dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Repeat until all dry ingredients are combined with wet ingredients. Lastly stir in pecan pieces. Pour mixture into loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-55 minutes. To ensure the bread is cooked through, stab a wooden skewer through the middle of the loaf--if the skewer comes out clean, the bread is done.
Pin It