Autumn Loaf

This recipe is a riff off the Golden Pumpkin Loaf from Baking in America.

I’ve been making this bread for years, but like our pumpkin pie, I’ve transitioned from using canned or freshly baked pie pumpkins (which frankly don’t taste as good as winter squash) to any and every winter squash I happen to have around.

This loaf was made with some Musquee de Provence; however, pumpkin, butternut, delicata, or even kabocha would all work for this recipe. My motto is use what you have.

The cornmeal is transformative in my opinion. It’s just enough of a texture pop to make this bread one of my favorite things to bake in fall. I used our homegrown flour corn I grew last summer (2022), and the ginger I used was also dehydrated from a year or two ago that I finally ground down into a powder. It made this loaf that much more delicious knowing several of the key ingredients were homegrown.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup fine cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp mace (optional)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup roasted winter squash, pureed

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Open roast your favorite winter squash or pumpkin at 350 for 30-60 minutes until soft. Let cool and scoop out. Mash and measure out one cup.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 bread pan and set aside.

3. Measure out the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

4. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, whisk the eggs until frothy — about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the sugars and whisk again on high until frothy, a few more minutes.

5. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and oil and mix again until well incorporated.

6. Finally, carefully mix the dry ingredients in using a wooden spoon or spatula. Don’t overmix — just mix until combined.

7. Gently pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.

8. Let cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pan.