Month: December 2018

Warm Squash Bread

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite fall/winter recipes. It is the best right out of the oven with butter on it, but it is also a great stew or soup bread.

The bread is an enriched dough, with butter and eggs in it, making it very soft and rich. The butternut squash does not add a strong flavor, but just lightly drifts on top. I love that it has a crispy crust, while still maintaining a gorgeously soft interior.

The dough rises pretty fast, so it is okay to cut the rise time a little bit. When you shape the dough, it is tough to roll out the strands. If you squeeze the dough into a strand first it makes it easier to roll out longer strands.

You can use butternut squash or pumpkin inside of the bread. I am partial to butternut squash as I am one of the shameful pumpkin pie haters, but canned pumpkin works just fine in this recipe.

Time: 2 1/2 hrs Serves: 6-12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked and pureed butternut squash
  • 1 pkg instant yeast
  • 2 T warm water
  • 1/3 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup salted butter, softened or melted
  • 1 egg
  • 3 T sugar
  • 3 c flour

For top: 1 egg and 1 T of water

Directions

  1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water for 10 min.
  2. Add milk, butter, squash, 1 egg, sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Stir to combine. Add remaining cup of flour.
  3. Once mixture is gathered, place on lightly floured counter and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and stretchy. Place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour.
  4. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 18 in long. Pinch 3 ropes together on one end and braid and pinch end. Repeat with for the other loaf.
  5. Place on a lightly greased pan. Cover and let rise for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  6. Mix egg and water together throughly. Brush on top of loaves. Bake for 20-25 min.

Summer Berry Custard Trifle

Life has been a bit crazy with school these last few months. Hence the fact that I made this recipe back in August and I am only just now getting around to posting it. Despite my lack of speed at posting it, it is a new family favorite recipe. Who does not like whipped cream and fruit? Bonus, the recipe uses all the yolks and whites from the eggs.

This trifle is a miss-mash of a few different recipes.

The Angel Food Cake Recipe came from https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/traditional-angel-food-cake-recipe . 

The custard filling recipe came from a delicious croquembouche recipe fromhttps://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/croquembouche-recipe-1938590

I know that it is now theoretically the wrong season for trifle, but hey, why not mix up the holidays with this bright springy dessert?

Happy Holidays, Ellie

Summer Berry Custard Trifle

Time:   Serves: 7-14

Custard

  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 12 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cornstarch
  • 2 T of unsalted butter

Angel Food Cake

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 12 large egg whites
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 1/2 t cream of tartar

Whipped  Cream

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T of sugar
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 3 cups sliced strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat milk and vanilla to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let set for 10-15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add cornstarch and stir until smooth. Stir in a 1/4 cup of the milk, then add in remaining milk, keep your empty pot.
  2. Strain the mix back into your empty pot. On medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slightly bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Cover with cling wrap, pressing it against the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 2 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 325°F. DO NOT grease your pan!! The cake needs to stick sides to rise.
  4. In a bowl, mix flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar.
  5. In a new large bowl, combine egg whites, salt, and vanilla. Beat until just frothy, then add cream of tartar and continue beating until you see stiff, glossy peaks.
  6. Mix in the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, then slowly fold in the dry ingredients.
  7. Place lightly batter lightly into pan, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
  8. Remove from oven, and set it upside down with a bottle (or a narrow upside down cup) through its center of pan to keep the cake from falling. Let cool for 1 1/2 hours to set the cake structure.
  9. Run a spatula around the edges and remove from pan. Cut the cake into 1/2 inch square pieces.
  10. In a mixing bowl, whisk cream and sugar together on high speed until stiff peaks form. Slice fruit to desired size.
  11. Assemble. Layer cake, custard, fruit, whipped cream. Repeat till finished.
Layers of goodness