percentages:
100% flour
62% squash
38% starter
16% eggs
12% butter
6% milk
1% salt
approximate proportions used:
800g white whole wheat flour
500g butternut squash pureé
300g elaborated white/rye starter
300g elaborated white/rye starter
130g eggs (2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk)
100g unsalted butter (a little less than half a stick)
50g unsweetened almond milk
10g sea salt
opptional ingredients:
opptional ingredients:
spices infused in milk: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, chili pepper
flour additives used: vital wheat gluten, diatastic malt powder, toasted wheat germ
toppings: egg white wash, milled pecans, wheat bran, dried squash seeds
preparing the squash: i usually try to find a squash in the ballpark of 1 kilo, this should usually yield 500g of usable squash. below is a series of photos i shot to demo on how to safely, and easily, cut a butternut squash in half.
start the cut near the steam of the squash and draw the knife down toward the large end.
it will feel like you are cracking open a nut when you draw the knife around the larger end.
you can now hold the squash by it's ass in the air and the steam facing downward - with the blade pointing down and finish it off.
you can now hold the squash by it's ass in the air and the steam facing downward - with the blade pointing down and finish it off.
scoop out the seeds and save - they make a great topping for larger loaves. i don't worry about getting those tendrils out until after the squash is softened.
the squash will now be baked - to ensure an even texture, i've found that a slash in the middle helps as well as a small amount of butter on each half. bake the squash at 350ºF for up to 2 hours and allow to cool until able to handle. below is the squash out of the oven and cooled.
you may notice some extra slashes made from when i checked the squash in the oven. take out all the tendrils and scoop the pulp free from the skin. i got just over 500g from this squash, though i can't trust this scale of mine - but hey, it's good enough for jazz.
i will toss the squash skins and other bits into a compost pile - however this is a long term compost because squash will invite grub worms galore.
i will toss the squash skins and other bits into a compost pile - however this is a long term compost because squash will invite grub worms galore.
to mash the squash into a pureé, i simply go hands first - that way i can feel out the chunks i don't want. i don't have a photo of this process because of my squashed up hands. the consistency should eventually become like chunky baby food, but don't stress out too much.
now, if i'm ready to start the dough, i will throw the eggs into the squash at this point. otherwise, the squash alone can be put in the fridge until needed. about the eggs - i crack 2 whole eggs into the squash and separate the yolk from a third. i save the leftover egg white for the wash before baking. stir the eggs into squash and be sure to aerate the mixture in the process.
preparing the milk: i have been avoiding dairy for a good while now and have found almond milk to work quite well as a replacement in bread baking. i try to use almond milk that has the fewest ingredients as possible and even though i get unsweetened, there is still evaporated cane juice added. for this reason, i have refrained from adding much, if any, sugar to my sweet breads. if you follow my persuasion, be sure to check the ingredients of whatever milk substitute you use and adjust the dough ingredients. if one where to use whole milk anyway, i would advise to go easy on the sugar with this recipe as to not overpower the squash's natural sweetness.
anyway, pour more than enough milk into a saucepan and heat. add whatever spices you like - i use cinnamon, allspice, cloves, coriander and chili pepper - i use very little and i use them all whole - i suppose you could toss some nutmeg in, i personally don't care for nutmeg. keep in mind that if ground spices are used, they will have an enormous impact on the bread's flavor and could very well hide the fact that you used a squash at all. i want only a small pumpkin-pie-like kick to come from these spices, so i keep them whole. i let the milk heat to a near boil and remove it from heat. i watch the temperature while keeping in mind the rule of 240. once ready to use, strain the milk to keep the spices at bay.
flour prep: this time around i used white whole wheat as my base flour with small additions of vital wheat gluten, diatastic malt powder, and toasted wheat germ. the vital wheat gluten is used to help support the dough as it tends to get a bit heavy, it also helps out as a preservative. the diatastic malt powder is used here as the white whole wheat flour is straight up hard spring wheat without the usual additives bread flour or all purpose flour have. one of the handiest additives inside those 2 common white flours are malted barley. adding the malt powder increases the sugar of the dough as the yeast do their thing. the toasted wheat germ is something i found discounted on the bulk isle some time ago. i have found that it imparts a wheatier flavor and really has no negative or positive effects
the proportions of these additives i used are very intuitive. but to give y'all an idea, per 500 g of flour, i normally use no more than 1 Tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and no more than 1/2 a teaspoon of diatastic malt powder. too much of these additives will cause heartache, don't say i didn't warn you. the toasted wheat germ should be added sparingly as well but the exact proportion is not significant.
once i get the ingredients in order, i run my standard method
in a bowl, mix flour, starter, squash, eggs and milk into shaggy mess - rest 10 min
add butter, salt and more milk, if needed, and mix until there's a clumpy dough - turn out to knead
briefly knead until things start to keep together - autolyse for 20 min
continue kneading until medium level gluten is present
form into ball and place into oiled bowl for fermentation
ferment 3-5 hours with two folds
preshape into balls - bench rest 20 min
shape into loaves - proof 45 min to an hour
preheat oven to 450ºF, prep stones and steam
apply toppings and score loaves
bake high heat with steam for about 10 minutes
lower heat and remove steam, bake up to an additional 20 minutes
allow to cool on rack for 4 hours
this has become a trustworthy recipe of mine and has gone thru several variations - only recently have i begun using milk as you normally would with a sweet bread - using water instead will normally open the crumb up some but will sacrifice the soft texture. this bread isn't overwhelmingly sweet, which is my preference, so if you are into sweet, you might want to add some sugar and withhold the malt powder that i use. in this batch, i made 1 large boule, 2 medium sized boules and 12 brioches - i was itching to try out these brioche tins i just got in the mail and used them without any experience in the traditional brioche. it was a fun experiment but the larger loaves are overall softer and moister and i prefer them over the briochlets - the dough didn't fill the tins through proofing and just went upward - i suppose a more straight forward sweet bread would suite the tins use better. another day, eh.
so, below are some crumb shots followed by a spirited rant...
so, below are some crumb shots followed by a spirited rant...
if there are any folks that have been actually reading all of my bread work over the past few months, i want to thank you as you have validated my current purpose, i assume, as the student under no instructor. you must certainly of picked up on a few contradictions through the experience. i'm sure that if a pro were to have read my initial freeform bread experiments, they probably would of laughed their ass off a few times. back then i had some obvious handicaps and the usual misconceptions any noobie would formulate.
i had the intension of this post to not only show off my squash bread but also issue some corrections to my previous statements - however, i can't stand to draw up such a list as it would drawl on for days. i will instead list some better internet sources that more experienced bakers have maintained for a long while. though you can't doubt it that i have been able to turn things about in a seemingly short amount of time and i am proud of my evolution as a baker as it is a continuation my total artistic evolution. still, the fact remains that my total experience as a baker of bread is quite minuscule compared to countless other bakers.
my ramble can never function as perfect instruction, although this has never been my intention - i only want to show people the door that i found - over here, down this dark hallway ... it should lead outside ... i aim to prove to the doubtful drones that old ways (i.e. the correct ways) are still obtainable with just a small amount of effort - just replace one flawed practice of your lifestyle with the better way and things will click. i could tell it to you this way - if you stop eating shit then you'll stop feeling like shit and you'll be able to get a shitload more done in your life. can't you see, begging for modern convenience is just begging for the shackles to be tightened. we who take matter in our own two hands stand the strongest. it has become annoyingly easy for me to become upset with my generation - and i tire from the frustration - there's a general lack of motivation, aggravated by video games and pharmaceuticals - there's so much apathy toward what happens all around us that criminals have hijacked much of modern society's food supply - this is compounded by the burden to achieve - to work that job for that car, and that house, and then that new job - and i'll be skull-fucked to see the day that any of us really gets to retire - know this, the end result to each day is food - so did you eat well today?
i had the intension of this post to not only show off my squash bread but also issue some corrections to my previous statements - however, i can't stand to draw up such a list as it would drawl on for days. i will instead list some better internet sources that more experienced bakers have maintained for a long while. though you can't doubt it that i have been able to turn things about in a seemingly short amount of time and i am proud of my evolution as a baker as it is a continuation my total artistic evolution. still, the fact remains that my total experience as a baker of bread is quite minuscule compared to countless other bakers.
my ramble can never function as perfect instruction, although this has never been my intention - i only want to show people the door that i found - over here, down this dark hallway ... it should lead outside ... i aim to prove to the doubtful drones that old ways (i.e. the correct ways) are still obtainable with just a small amount of effort - just replace one flawed practice of your lifestyle with the better way and things will click. i could tell it to you this way - if you stop eating shit then you'll stop feeling like shit and you'll be able to get a shitload more done in your life. can't you see, begging for modern convenience is just begging for the shackles to be tightened. we who take matter in our own two hands stand the strongest. it has become annoyingly easy for me to become upset with my generation - and i tire from the frustration - there's a general lack of motivation, aggravated by video games and pharmaceuticals - there's so much apathy toward what happens all around us that criminals have hijacked much of modern society's food supply - this is compounded by the burden to achieve - to work that job for that car, and that house, and then that new job - and i'll be skull-fucked to see the day that any of us really gets to retire - know this, the end result to each day is food - so did you eat well today?
at the same time, our generation is the aggressively hopeful one - we are the generation to stand up in masses for any ideal without fear of censorship or punishment - many of us care not about ethnicity or religion - we are banded together across vast stretches of space through this marvelous medium called the internet. this why i bake and then type about it - should i be considered an amateur, then my purpose is strengthened. we all start somewhere and this blog has documented one such start. knowing that, is it so hard for you to undertake these practices? i tell you, the feeling of liberation i get from baking and my other natural activities is very addictive, and once you get started it just gets easier. the best part is, not only living healthier, but also knowing that with each pound of food i produce and eat, i am right there pissing and crapping on the Man's front doorstep. a revolution does not need an army or a political party or mob on the street. a revolution starts and ends with the individual. one individual abandons the system and walks thruogh that door and then another individual follows, until there is no system.
i don't know how i got so fired up all the sudden - guess i was hanging around the Hill Country Humidor too long on my day off. anywho, about them links i promised - they'll be listed bellow. but i suppose this blog needed an artist statement, so there it is. so, if you're willing to join the cause and break free as best as any of us can, just go find yourself a few pounds of flour, mix it with an equal part of water, then chill out with some new reading material.
peace - kevo
peace - kevo
http://home.teleport.com/~packham/sourdo.htm
http://www.breadtopia.com/
http://www.sfbi.com/resources.html
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eggda/
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/
http://originalyeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.sourdoughhome.com/
by kevin walsh, 2011
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