Butternut Pecan Bread

Looking for an alternative to Banana Bread? Try out our recipe for Butternut Pecan Bread. It’s a fun twist on a classic and perfect to enjoy for breakfast or as a late night snack. Make this when you don’t have ripe bananas on hand and when winter squashes start popping up at farmers markets, or in the co-op.

Butternut Pecan Bread

Yield: 1 – 9” loaf

1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces (optional)
extra butter, pan spray or vegetable oil to grease loaf pan

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, powder, soda, salt, and optional cinnamon.

Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) beat butter until creamy, and add sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add mashed butternut and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredient to the mixer and slowly mix just until combined, adding the optional nuts about halfway through. Try not to over-mix.

Pour batter into a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan that has been greased and lined with paper. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted into bread comes out clean. Cool, in the pan, on a wire rack. Remove bread from loaf pan and continue to cool. Slice and serve warm or store, tightly wrapped at room temperature or in the refrigerator.