Edible Holiday Gifts Part II: Squash Harvest Bread

These squash loaves are one of my favorite fall and winter treats. They are super hearty from the chopped nuts and seeds, perfectly spiced and stay most and delicious for days on the counter. This recipe makes two, nice sized loaves which makes it perfect for gift giving. I like to bring one along to holiday parties as a hostess gift, so my generous friends don't have to worry about cooking breakfast for themselves the next morning. This recipe also bakes up beautifully into paper baking molds, which makes it an even cuter gift to give (I have included some resources down below).

Squash Harvest Bread
adapted from the Macrina Bakery Cookbook
yield, 2 9x5 loaves or 6-8 smaller loaves

2 cups roasted squash purée (butternut, red kuri, or kabocha work great and canned pumpkin puree is just fine here too)
1/2c walnut halves
1/2c pecan halves
1c pepitas
2t baking soda
2t baking powder
3 1/2c flour
1/2t nutmeg
1 1/2t cinnamon
1 1/2t salt
1 1/2c light brown sugar
1 1/2c granulated sugar
1c canola oil
4 eggs
3/4c buttermilk

To Toast the Nuts and Seeds

Spread them on a baking sheet in an even layer and bake in a 375º oven for 10-15min or until they are nice and toasty. Cool the nuts completely and chop them medium/fine.

For the Loaves
Turn the oven down to 325º

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir in the chopped nuts and seeds, reserving a few tablespoons to sprinkle over the top of the loaves.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the oil and sugars. Mix on medium high for 4min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the squash puree and mix for another 2 minutes. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.
3. Alternate adding the flour (3 parts) and the buttermilk (2 parts) and stir gently to combine completely, being careful to scrape down to the bottom of the bowl.
4. Pour the batter into oiled loaf pans, filling them 2/3 full, and sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Bake large loaves for 60min, smaller loaves for 25-35min depending on size. They are done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 20min before unmolding.

Notes

- For gift giving, paper loaf pans like these can be found locally in NY at Bowery Kitchen Supply or New York Cake and Baking Supply where the service is pretty surly and the selection is unbeatable. They can also be found at many specialty cook shops like Sur la Table.
- Here are some online resources make sure to search for "paper baking molds".
- Here is a link to food52's easy peasy squash roasting technique and video.
- For 2 cups of squash puree, you'll need about a 1 lb squash

Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries

Last weekend, when I heard that two of my best pals were heading upstate to their beautiful cabin I couldn't help but invite myself along for the ride. After a week long heatwave it was high time to get the f out of the city and into the woods to take a dip in the swimming hole and breathe some non-conditioned air. Luckily my generous pals don't mind sharing their special spot, so to thank them for their never ending hospitality (and to ensure they invite me back) I brought a little treat. I wanted to bring something along that would be equally tasty for breakfast before hitting up the u-pick farm nearby and as a snack by the creek later in the afternoon and these hearty muffins fit the bill. They utilize lots of zucchini which is ever so plentiful this time of year along with toasted nuts, seeds and some dried cherries for a nice tart zip, but feel free to switch up the additions to suit your personal preference.


Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries
adapted from 101cookbooks
yields about 24 muffins

2c whole wheat flour
1c all purpose flour
1 1/2t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
3/4c olive oil (or canola oil)
1c sugar
1/2c brown sugar
3 large eggs
2t vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
1'' piece of ginger, grated with a microplane
3c finely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium), squeezed gently to remove excess liquid
1 1/2c mixed chopped nuts, toasted (I used half pecans and half walnuts)
1/3c poppy seeds
1/2c dried cherries roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350º and line 2. 12 cup muffin tins with liners

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then stir in the chopped nuts and poppy seeds, making sure to reserve a few tablespoons to sprinkle on the top of the muffins.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, eggs, lemon zest, ginger, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold in the zucchini and cherries.
4. Fill your muffin liners 2/3 full, then sprinkle the reserved nuts over top. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 min.

Big thanks to the folks over at The Kitchen Generation for mentioning the Baking Co. last weekend and thanks to everyone on twitter and facebook who have been so friendly and supportive of my bloggy-blog recently.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Walnut Muffins

Just in time for the weekend, I would like to present you this incredibly versatile and forgiving muffin recipe. The only catch is, you need a kitchen scale. I'm sure you lovers of baked good out there have and use your scales all of the time, but if you don't have one it is totally worth the dollar bills. I have a Salter model that cost about $30 at Macy's and it has survived in my kitchen for years despite many spills and drops and other various kitchen disasters that stem from having about 18 square inches of counter space. Don't even get me started on my barbie sized oven. Someday I will post some photos of my tiny New York kitchen so you can all feel bad for me. I kid, I kid, let's get back to the muffins. These wholesome treats can be adapted to use any flours, fat or milk you have on hand. I went with equal parts of whole wheat and all purpose flours, olive oil, almond milk and tossed in some frozen raspberries for color, walnuts for richness and crunch and a bit of orange zest for some citrusy zip. As long as you substitute the ingredients in equal weight you can go crazy, I am going to try a blueberry buckwheat version next.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Walnut Muffins
adapted from Gluten Free Girl, who adapted from Shuna Fish Lydon

350 grams flour (I used 175 grams whole wheat and 175 grams all purpose)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
180 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
300 grams milk
100 grams olive oil
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
zest of 1/2 an orange

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin thoroughly or if you prefer, line with muffin cups.

1. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. Whisk together the sugar, zest eggs, milk, and olive oil until they are combined well. Add them to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients until the batter is almost fully combined. Add the frozen berries and walnuts, careful to not break up the berries too much.

3. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full and bake until the muffins are browned with a bit of a crunch and a knife goes through cleanly, about 25 minutes to 35 minutes.

If you try these please share your variations in the comments, I'd love to hear your creative ideas.

Happy Friday!