Winter Squash Tea Bread

I had a winter squash in my last CSA box.  I made half of it into a delicious risotto.  The rest of it I made into some squash tea bread, like zucchini bread.  I'm going to be honest with you, this was not my most successful recipe.  I wasn't very careful measuring (admittedly I'm never careful measuring) and I think I used too much squash which added too much water.  But it tasted good, even if it was a little too moist (sticky really) and collapsed as soon as I took it out of the oven.

Normally I don't post recipes I make that don't really turn out, but since I think the blame is on me and not the recipe I'm posting it anyway and I hope you have better luck.  Make sure it is actually cooked all the way through before you take it out of the oven, though.  I know, you'd think that would be a pretty basic tenet of cooking but sometimes I forget.

I'm not sure why Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Allspice and Ginger are such fall/winter flavors.  Maybe because in Spring and Summer we use fresh fruits that stand on their own?  Maybe because they are pumpkin pie flavors, a dish only available for three months out of the year?  I don't know, but they are great winter spices and they give the bread a lot of flavor.

Speaking of winter things; it snowed in Seattle yesterday.  It took my two hours to get home on a bus that usually take 25 minutes.  I finally got off and walked the last half mile.  It was pretty much a disaster.  You may be wondering how many feet of snow caused this entire city to grind to a halt.  Well, about 2 inches.  Anyway, today was totally clear and sunny so I came into work, along with maybe 20 other people.  I probably should have stayed home and made cookies.

When I took it out of the oven the bread was twice as tall as this, I swear.  It totally deflated as it cooled, but the important thing is it tasted good.  In two days it is Thanksgiving and I'll be visiting family in California.  We're planning on making a ton of delicious food so I should have more good recipes for you soon, but if I don't get anything posted before then have a lovely Thanksgiving and bake some delicious food!

Winter Squash Tea Bread

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup squash puree, (see Tip)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1.Beat squash puree, sugar, honey and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs.
2. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice and cloves. Fold in gently and once combined beat until smooth.
3. Lightly oil and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake the bread in a 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and let cool another 30 minutes.

Recipe from Eating Well

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