Winter Squash Bread -- Two Ways

The local farmers market had some lovely winter squash this week. I pretty much love all squash, all year long. But Dave, not so much. So, when I'm making him squash-y food, I sometimes have to disguise it. I made two types of squash bread--a quick bread similar to zucchini bread, and a yeasted, non-sweet loaf.

To cook the squash I cut it into pieces and cleaned out the seeds. Then I roasted it in a 375 F oven with a little olive oil and salt, and about an inch of water in the pan. When it was tender I let it cool and peeled each piece.

This is the recipe I used for the quick bread.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,194,153172-253205,00.html

I made some small changes. I cut back a bit on the sugar since I don't like overly sweet breads. I also added some instant oats, and used some whole wheat flour in place of the white flour. Plus, I added some dried cranberries and three peeled and diced apples.

The bread was very good and I think the apples kept it moist. Being sweet, of course, this was Dave's favorite. (He thinks it's pumpkin bread since he thinks that he doesn't like squash.)

I am more in love with the savory bread. It's so good. It has a subtle roasted squash taste, a slightly chewy crust, and a nice soft interior. Here is the recipe I used. http://www.cookingbread.com/recipes/high_fiber_bread/squash_bread.html

Instead of using all whole wheat flour, I added some white flour--maybe 30%. I also left off the flax seeds on top (forgot them), and I added some chia seeds and wheat germ to the dough.

I don't love winter weather at all, not even in California. But I do love winter produce. So, though our pool will be off limits until May, I'll at least have acorn squash to bring a smile to my face.