I seem to cook a lot with butternut squash in the winter time. I’ve made empanadas, enchiladas, big pies, little pies, soups, stews, dumplings, soufflés… on and on it goes. So when presented with half a roasted butternut squash (I’d used the other half in soup), I decided I wanted to do something different with it. I decided to bake with it. I’ve never done it before, but it makes perfect sense! I’ve baked with sweet potato puree, and pumpkin puree – people do that all the time. So why not butternut squash puree? Why not, indeed. I decided to make a yeasted dough, and to make it into a flat bread, because I feared it might be a bit dense, and in these situations it’s a good idea to keep it thin. I thought a lot about how to flavor it. Butternut squash goes well with so many herbs and spices. I decided on a mix of sage, nutmeg and allspice. A little bit savory, a little bit sweet, very nice together when all baked in a bread!

And then I decided to stuff it, because I love how butternut squash tastes with greens and nuts and cheese. I think arugula, goat cheese, and hazelnuts is my favorite combination with it, but this time I decided to go with chard, walnuts and mozzarella, because it’s February, I guess! I made two fat rolls out of extra dough, because I was curious about how they would come out. They were nice! The flavor really shines through, and the texture was dense, but not unpleasantly so. Extra good toasted the next day. And my Isaac gobbled one down, which means he’s getting some vitamins, right?

Here’s a nice little ditty from the Arctic Monkeys called The Bakery Song. Do you think they sell roasted squash bread in this bakery?

3 cups flour
1 t salt
1 T brown sugar
1 t sage
1/4 t each nutmeg and allspice
2 t yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 t. sugar
3 T olive oil
1 cup roasted butternut squash puree. (Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and lie it face down on a baking sheet. Cook at 425 for about 30-40 minutes – depending on the size – till it’s brown and very soft when you poke it with a knife or fork. Allow it to cool, and then peel the skin off. Use a processor of some sort to make it into a smooth puree)

Combine the yeast, warm water, and teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Leave for about 10 minutes till it’s foamy.

Meanwhile…in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, sage, spices. Mix well. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, the olive oil, and the squash. Bring together into a ball – you might need to add a little water to make a smooth dough. It will be a little sticky, but that’s okay. If it’s too sticky, add a little water. Knead for 5 minutes or so, till it’s smooth and elastic. Set in a lightly oiled bowl in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, to rise. Punch it down and leave it to sit again for about 45 minutes.

Now you decide the shape you’d like! You can roll it quite flat, put it on a sheet, sprinkle some coarse salt on top and bake it like that. You can break it into pieces and make it into buns. You could put it in a loaf pan.

Or…you can roll about 3/4 of it out into a large circle, put a filling inside, seal of the edges and bake it like that. You could actually do this with a few smaller circles instead, if you were in the mood. The choice is yours!

If you’d like to fill it with chard, walnuts and rosemary…

Warm some olive oil in a large frying pan. Add 1 clove of garlic, minced, and 1 t basil & 1 t chopped rosemary. Wash and chop 1/2 a bunch of chard – you want about 2 cups in the end. Put it in the oil, add a little water, and cook till it’s soft. Combine with 1 cup cubed or grated mozzarella and half a cup of toasted & chopped walnuts. Season with plenty of salt and pepper.