Macrina Bakery Squash Harvest Loaf

Macrina is a VERY popular bakery on 1st Avenue in Seattle in the Belltown neighborhood.  They make this quick bread from roasted butternut squash called Harvest Bread.  It's similar to pumpkin bread but not as sweet and has kind of more of an "earthy" flavor.  It has toasted pecans, walnuts and pumpkin seeds in the bread and also sprinkled on top before baking.  For pumpkin bread I simply open a can of Libby's Pumpkin but for this bread I bought some fresh butternut squash from Carpinito Farms in Kent.  The squash I bought was fairly small so I bought 5 of them.  I needed 2 cups of pureed squash per recipe and I was making a double recipe so I wanted to be sure I had enough.  My squash roasted in a 400 degree oven for 1.5 hours before it was fork tender. Then I had to let it cool for awhile and then I had to peel it and puree it in a food processor.  I had a little over 4 cups.  I ate the remainder few spoonfuls with a little brown sugar and salt & butter. Yum!  

But anyway, because of the squash puree preparation, this bread took hella looong time!   But it was worth it.  This bread is so tender and so flavorful.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and I made extra loaves to give some away as gifts.  I figured if I am going though hours of preparation, then I'm making extra!  Next time I might add another teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.  I could taste it but I think it could have been a bit stronger.  I did not have any pecans so I left those out but I used extra walnuts and pumpkin seeds.   Actually, I really wanted pecans but they were so expensive, even at Grocery Outlet, that I figured I would leave them out.

I highly highly recommend this wonderful autumn like quick bread.  And if you can take the time to roast your own squash and puree it, it will really stand out in the flavor of the bread!  I do not find this bread extra sweet. I've read other reviews where bakers mentioned cutting down on the sugar amount called for.   I don't think it would be sweet enough if I did that.  So I prefer to leave in the full amount called for.

I halved the squash vertically, scooped out the seeds & stringy fibers, placed on a foil lined baking sheet with a big pan of water underneath (for steam- keeps squash moist). Baked at 400 degrees for 1.5 hours.  I tested for doneness with a fork.

I toasted pumpkin seeds and walnuts at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  I used pumpkin seeds with sea salt on them. 

My squash took awhile in the food processor to get a consistent pureed texture.  I kept finding little chunks.  Had to poke around with my spatula to make sure all the chunks were pureed.

I was kind of heavy handed with the nuts on top.  The recipe called for less on each loaf but I just sprinkled till it felt right.  I toasted more than enough nuts so I had plenty.

The nuts on the inside of the bread were ground.  I didn't use a food processor for this.  I simply put the already toasted nuts in a plastic bag then proceeded to hit with the flat side of a mallet till they were uniform very small pieces.

Macrina Bakery Squash Harvest Loaf

(for 2 loaves)

You need:

• 2 cups roasted butternut squash purée*
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Roasting the butternut squash.

• Wash and cut the squash in two halves, remove the seeds and place the halves in a rimmed baking sheet, face up, with 1 cup water in the pan. Cook in a preheated oven at 375 F for 1 hour minimum, until the flesh is fork tender.
• Remove and let cool down before scooping the squash out.
• Place in a food processor and mix smoothly.
• Let cool down and use 2 cups for 2 loaves. Keep the rest in the fridge for 3 days max, or freeze it for future times.

Making the loaves

• Place the nuts and seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 15 mns. Remove from the oven and let cool down before grinding them, medium. Keep 1/4 cup on the side, for the decoration.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 325 F.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
• Add the seeds, minus 1/4 cup. Mix with a wooden spoon.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the oil and two types of sugar and use the paddle attachment to mix on medium speed, for 4 mns.
• Add the roasted butternut squash and continue to mix for 2 mns.
• Then, add one egg at a time.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the flour and the buttermilk alternatively, until the liquid is absorb each time.
• Transfer the preparation in 2 oiled loaf pans measuring 9 x 5 x 3″, 2/3 to the top.
• Sprinkle with the reserved seeds.
• Cook in the oven for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out dry once inserted in the loaf. Remove and let cool for 20 mns before unmolding on a cooling rack.

Zucchini Banana Bread

 

This is a great recipe to use up some ripe bananas that have been sitting on your counter and the zucchini that keeps appearing in your garden!  It's a super simple and completely delicious recipe.  No mixer needed. Just a big bowl & a spoon or spatula to mix it.  I actually doubled the recipe and it made 8 mini loaves.  As you can tell from my photos, I put a super crunchy crumbly topping on all of my loaves.  It's a brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon concoction. It really made the bread outstanding - I highly recommend that addition.  I'm not into nuts in my baked goods so I left those out and I just didn't think the cranberries sounded good in this flavor combination although that is what the recipe called for - so I left them out also. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and I realize that sounds like a lot, and I was hesitant to add a full tablespoon but I'm glad I did because it wasn't overpowering at all.  In fact, I think it could have used a bit more.  To make the bread a little bit healthy, I substituted 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the all purpose. Wonderful!

I will definitely keep this recipe in my repertoire.  I love the fact that it's so simple.  I think you will enjoy it.  Be sure to watch it carefully, it goes from gooey middle to done rather quickly.  If you use mini loaf pans like I did, you will have to remove the loaves from the oven much sooner than the called for 50 minutes.  Just keep a close eye on them.  Mine were even more difficult to determine the doneness due to the huge amount of cumbly topping on them!

Zucchini Banana Bread allrecipes.com   3 eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 cup grated zucchini 2 bananas, mashed 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour & 2.5 cups all purpose) 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dried cranberries  (I didn't add) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't add)   Preheat oven to 325 degrees F Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans. (I used 4 mini loaf pans) In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans. At this point, I made a crumble topping to put on top of each of my mini loaves. I simply melted a stick of butter in the microwave, added some brown sugar (approx 1.5 cups) to it, some flour (approx 3/4 cup), about 1 tsp cinnamon and some old fashioned oats (approx 1 cup). Stir it  till completely mixed then sprinkled on top of each loaf before putting it in the oven. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

 

Trisha Yearwood's banana bread

It's difficult to capture banana bread's yumminess in photos.  It's not very exciting looking but trust me, this recipe is awesome! I found it in my Trisha Yearwood cookbook.  I will definitely make it again.  And if you have followed my blog in the past and have noticed my other banana bread recipes, I have to always add a cinnamon/brown sugar struesel.  I tried it years ago and will never again make banana bread without it.  The struesel takes a delicious recipe and makes it close to perfect.  I have no certain formula for the struesel, I just mix about a teaspoon of cinnamon with about a cup of brown sugar. And then I pour a small amount of batter into the loaf pan, just enough to cover the bottom, then I sprinkle it with a thick layer of the struesel mixture and then top it with more batter. And if I have some extra cinnamon/brown sugar mixture remaining, I sprinkle it on top of the batter before baking. I made a double recipe of this banana bread and it made 8 mini loaf pans. 

This recipe is extremely moist and has wonderful flavor.  I really loved the texture.  Maybe try using the struesel suggestion if you make this.  I bet you won't ever make it without it again!

Enjoy!

 Ashley's Banana Bread (Trisha's niece)
from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood


3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 t. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans.

With an electric mixer or stand alone mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in the bananas and vanilla. Sift flour together with the baking soda and salt and add to the mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in nuts.

Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan before turning the loaves out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Cinnamon Quick Bread

I was excited to try this recipe.  I came across it on the blog...

Closet Cooking

It was also on 2 other blogs and they all raved about it.  I liked it but I wouldn't rave about it. After it baked and cooled a bit, I drizzled some vanilla icing on top and that's when it became really tasty. Almost like a cinnamon roll.  I definitely think it was better with the icing.

The bread was easy to put together, as are most quick breads. The cinnamon/brown sugar filling was super potent.  At first it seemed like way too much cinnamon but after eating the results, I would say it's just right.  Most of the cinnamon mixture that I sprinkled on top of the loaves before baking came off when I popped them out of the pan but there was still plenty left. The other blogs had made one or two big loaves, I made 5 mini ones with a double recipe.   I tell ya one thing, my house smells absolutely heavenly right now!  I think these would be really good in muffin form. Oh, and I should mention that I did not add the lemon zest at all.  I just could not imagine the combination of lemon & cinnamon. Lemon zest has such a strong flavor that I didn't want it to compete with the cinnamon flavor.

 This is before I figured out it would be better with vanilla icing. Fair...but not really good.

 I cut some slices while still really warm and the cinnamon/brown sugar filling was caramel like in texture and kind of oozing out! Mmmm... so good!



My simple vanilla icing consisted of powdered sugar, whole milk and some vanilla extract.



Cinnamon Bread

From: Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brown sugar
2 heaping tablespoons ground cinnamon
Directions:

1. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl.
3. Beat in the eggs, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.
4. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Mix 1/2 of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients.
6. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Mix the remaining buttermilk into the wet ingredients.
8. Mix 1/3 the remaining dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
9. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
10. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
11. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top.
12. Pour 1/3 of the batter on top.
13. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top.
14. Pour the remaining batter on top.
15. Pour the remaining cinnamon mixture on top.
16. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about an hour.

Hallelujah Banana Bread

I'm not sure how I came across this recipe but I think I found it on a blog via Tastespotting.  But anyway, it sounded too interesting to pass up. The article below tells how this recipe came to be.

http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/headlines/20100511-Bake-the-perfect-banana-bread-4040.ece

The odd thing is, that article does not include the recipe. Strange.  I found it on the same website but published a different day. It's a really wonderful and easy to make recipe.  I would say it's right up there with my favorite banana bread recipes.  I like it because the butter is melted, therefore you don't have to cream the butter and sugar together.  I did not add any nuts but I did add some cinnamon to my bread.  I realize my photos kind of suck but that's as good as I can do today.  It's so rainy and gray outside today - good banana bread making weather.

Hallelujah Banana Bread
http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/food/latest-recipes/20100511-Hallelujah-Banana-Bread-3892.ece

from the Dallas Morning News




2 c flour

1 c sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts  (I did not add walnuts)

2 eggs

1 1/2 c mashed bananas (about 4 small bananas)

1/4 c sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick (1/2 c) butter melted, and brought to room temp.



In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, powder, soda and salt. Mix well and toss in the walnuts to coat. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, add the mashed banana, sour cream, vanilla, and butter. Stir well to combine.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet mixture and stir well until thoroughly combined. Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if it seems to be browning too quickly. Reduce heat to 325 and bake about 20 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes away clean.

Chocolate chocolate chip zucchini muffins

Here is a good way to use up those extra zucchini.  This is a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website.  It's supposed to be a 13x9 inch cake but I made it into muffins and it worked wonderfully.  I used a small amount of the King Arthur Flour black cocoa powder, so my muffins were a deep chocolate.  Not too sweet and deliciously moist.  Shredded zucchini is usually visible in my bread or muffins but this time the zucchini could not be seen at all (a good way to hide the veggie!).  I passed these huge muffins off at work as healthy breakfast fare but in reality, they are basically just a big piece of unadorned chocolate cake.  The big Guittard milk chocolate chips that I added to the top before baking were a nice addition. They added some texture.  I like the fact that this recipe uses oil AND butter.  The oil adds incredible moistness and the butter adds wonderful flavor.  This recipe makes perfect muffins but would also work as a quick bread or a cake.  Chocolate icing would be great on it too...or maybe cream cheese icing!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

from King Arthur Flour



1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter


1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounce) Dutch-process cocoa

2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional but tasty

2 cups shredded zucchini (about one 10" zucchini, about 12 ounces)

1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips




Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lighlty grease a 9" x 13" pan.



In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the eggs.



Stir in the sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt alternately with the flour. Then add the cocoa and espresso powder, mixing till smooth. Finally, fold in the zucchini and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.


Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. top befoto the t(I added milk chocolate chips to the top before baking) Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, till the top springs back lightly when touched, and it seems set.