Sweet Potato Squash Loaf

What is Loaf?

Loaf is a term used to describe any shaped mass of food, as in veal loaf or the more generic meat loaf, although it is usually reserved for items of bread. It has evolved to include sweetened doughs with a less elastic texture and a smaller crumb, e.g. cake. The loaves (or squares) you see here cannot rightfully be called bread, nor are they cake. They were developed to make use of more healthful ingredients, to lessen the gratuitous use of nutrient-poor fats and sweeteners, and to maintain an attraction to the Fanatic's Resident Eater (FRE) that would preclude him visiting vending machines for Tastykakes©.

The methods and pictures you see in this recipe (as in all recipes) reflect the actual raw materials and technique used to produce the final product as displayed. I purchased the squash pictured with the intention of baking a Sweet Potato Squash Loaf. But it cooked up more dry and mealy that previous ones I'd used to develop this recipe ... not at all recipe-ready, but salvageable. Here is my experience with my less-than-squishy squash.


Day 1

Ingredients

1 sweet potato squash, approximately 6 inches in diameter

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1 Preheat oven to 320°F.

2 Remove label from squash. Clean exterior with plain water to remove any dried mud, bits of leaf/vine, and desicated insects.




3 Place whole squash on a baking sheet. Cook for approximately 1 to 2 hours, turning every 20 minutes to ensure even heat distribution.

Note: The total cooking time will depend on the size and quality of your squash. Remove from the oven when it softens and gives easily when pressed.

Many recipes, even the instructions included with this squash, recommend puncturing with a fork prior to baking. Punctures act as vents, allowing moisture to escape as the temperature inside the gourd rises. This puncture precaution, no doubt, is to avoid the off-chance of an ungodly mess should the squash explode in your oven. You'll note the absence of this instruction in my methods. I have found that the worst a hot squash is capable of, at the temperature given, is a split. The baking sheet can contain any material that oozes from this opening. I don't recommend venting the squash because the moisture that builds inside assists in steaming the flesh, and produces a softer, moister, more recipe-ready product.

4 Remove squash from oven, tent with a kitchen towel, and allow to cool slowly. When cool, slice in half and spoon out the seeds. Scoop the (hopefully) softened flesh into a container to be used as an ingredient in your loaf. May be kept refrigerated for several days.



Note: A vegetable of this size that houses several cups of possibly boiling pulp will require a number of hours to cool.

After cooking, the flesh of my sweet potato squash was disappointingly dry and potato-like. In this condition, it's not suitable for use in this recipe. But sometimes you can deal with nature's surprises. Step 5 need only be followed if you encounter a dry squash.

5 After discarding the seeds, slice off rind and cut squash into chunks. Mash any softened chunks with a sturdy fork, potato masher, or pastry cutter. Place squash chunks into an oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid. (Aluminum foil can substitute for a lid.) Add about ½ cup water to the squash and bake/steam in a 300° F. oven for 1 to 2 hours. Stir and mash contents briefly every 30 minutes and add more water if the bottom of the pot dries. Bake until the squash resembles lumpy moist mashed potatoes.

Note: This steaming process will cause the squash to absorb moisture and soften. In my particular case, I baked the squash originally for two hours, and steamed the squash flesh for an additional 2 hours, adding almost 1 cup of water. If you aren't inclined to pay homage to a squash, there's always canned pumpkin.


Day 2

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour, less 4 tbsp.
2 tbsp. wheat germ (raw or toasted)
2 tbsp. wheat bran
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves or allspice

1 cup mashed sweet potato squash
2 large eggs
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp. molasses
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ non-fat plain yogurt
½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup chopped walnuts

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1 Preheat oven to 350° F.

2 Rub oil on the insides of an 8 by 4 inch loaf pan. Dust with flour.

Note: A 9 by 5 inch loaf pan may be used, but the loaf will not rise as high and will be denser.

3 Measure 1 cup of your baked/steamed squash. Pack the cup so no or few air pockets remain. Combine the mashed squash with honey, molasses, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk or beat vigorously.

4 Whisk the two eggs separately from the squash batter.

Note: Egg proteins coagulate or curdle in the presence of acids. The liquid ingredients in this recipe are acidic enough to cause coagulation. This can be reduced if eggs are added right before baking.

5 Stir together pastry flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Note: Sifting is an effective way to mix and aerate dry ingredients. However, the particulate matter in this combination will make sifting difficult, so be sure to mix these dry ingredients thoroughly, breaking up and distributing any chunks of baking powder or baking soda.

Unless your flour uses the word "pastry" or "soft", it is probably made from a hard or winter wheat that contains a little more protein. This extra protein will absorb more water and produce more gluten, resulting in a denser, less voluminous product than if you used pastry flour. Of course, if regular whole wheat flour is all you have on hand, don't let it stop you from trying this recipe. It will still be delicious!

6 Measure nuts and chop if necessary.

7 Add about 2 tbsp. of the liquid batter to the whisked eggs and beat. Slowly pour the beaten eggs into the liquid ingredients, whisking the batter as you pour.

8 Add dry ingredients to wet. Stir until just combined and no or very few dry lumps remain. Gently stir in chopped nuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350°F. for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Loaf is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9 Cool thoroughly in pan before removing.

Note: Many recipes recommend depanning shortly after removing from the oven. This is done to prevent the loaf from becoming soggy. I have found that delicate batters such as cakes and white-flour-based quick breads are more prone to this.

Enjoy!

Tamari Almonds

Go on. Eat just one.


Ingredients:

6 oz. (1 ¼ cups) raw whole almonds
1 tbsp. tamari
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Makes 1 ¼ cups

For the 169 calories in 1 oz. (about 22 nuts) you'll get:
75 mg. Calcium
7.4 mg. Vitamin E (11 IU)

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1     Stir tamari with almonds and marinate at room temperature for approximately 2 hours or until any puddling at the bottom of the bowl evaporates.

Note: Tamari is a naturally brewed sauce made traditionally from water, whole soybeans, and salt. Shoyu is a similarly brewed sauce made from water, soybeans, salt, and roasted wheat. Either can be used in this recipe; however tamari has a more pungent flavor that better complements the roasted nut.

Avoid use of commercial, chemically processed "soy sauce". It's known to contain caramel color, hydrochloric acid, sugar, and hexane, a petroleum derivative used to defat the soybeans. Yum.



2     Preheat over to 330°F.

3     Toss tamari-soaked almonds with kosher salt and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Note: Lining the baking sheet with aluminum foil will reduce cleanup time.

4     Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes.

Note: At 8 or 9 minutes the almonds will just begin to brown on the inside. At 15 minutes their insides will be quite toasted.

5     Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Thin Crust Pizza

Here's a pizza with a really, really thin and crispy crust.

Ingredients:

Dough

1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt

¾ cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil

Topping

1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup (or more) grated cheese (any combination of):
      mozzarella
      cheddar
      provalone
¼ cup grated parmesan reggiano or locatelli
1 tsp. oregano
dash salt (optional)
dash pepper (optional)

Makes one 15-inch pizza, about 8 servings
One serving provides 4.6 mg. lycopene

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1    Stir flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Add oil to water. Create a well in the flour mixture. Stir the oil and water together and continue stirring as you pour it into the well in the flour. Mix briefly to make a wet dough.

Note: High-protein or bread flours will produce a stronger gluten structure that makes the dough difficult to roll into a thin layer and results in a tougher, overly chewy crust. Regular all-purpose flour works best for me in this recipe.

Either instant or active dry yeast can be used. Instant yeast does not need to be proofed (dissolved in warm water until it foams) before use. Since it is more potent than active dry, less is usually needed.

If you do not continue to stir the liquid ingredients as you pour, the oil will coalesce at the top of the water and will be difficult to distribute evenly as you mix the dough.




2    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let sit for 20 minutes.

Note: This rest period is known as an autolyse. During autolyse the flour absorbs moisture and begins the gluten-forming process, both of which will make the dough less sticky during kneading. Since this recipe results in a wet dough, the autolyse period is essential to prevent the addition of too much flour.

3    Scoop dough onto a clean, dry surface. Dust top of dough with flour. Using a pastry scraper or rubber spatula, turn dough over and dust with flour again. Fold dough over onto itself a few times, dusting with flour as it becomes too sticky to handle. (It will be very sticky.) Don't knead this dough - it will develop the gluten too much and be difficult to roll out. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in an undisturbed area away from drafts. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour at 72°F. Gently deflate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for another hour. (It's very forgiving, you can forget about it for 4 or 5 hours and it still bounces back in the oven.)




Note: The dough will be very wet and difficult to handle. Don't be tempted to add too much flour to improve handleability. The wetter the dough, the lighter and crispier the crust.




To deflate, slide a spatula or spoon around the edges of the dough. Avoid poking or cutting.




4    Place baking stone or tiles onto bottom shelf of oven and preheat to 500° F for at least one hour. (This recipe is designed to be cooked directly on a stone, without a pan.)




5    Gently deflate dough and scoop out onto the center of a piece of parchment paper at least 15 inches wide. The dough should feel wet and tacky. Lay two sheets of plastic wrap over the dough, enough to cover the entire 15-inch area.

Note: Use a piece of parchment 15 inches wide by about 30 inches long. The extra room will give you more leeway when rolling. Since plastic wrap usually comes in 12 inch rolls, you will need two 30 inch sheets. Lay one sheet over half the dough, cover the remaining half with the other sheet. See below.




6    Roll dough through plastic wrap into a 15-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. (Alter the size of your rolled dough if your baking stone cannot accomodate a 15 inch round.) Allow the dough to rest under the plastic undisturbed for 30-60 minutes. While the dough is resting, assemble topping ingredients.

Note: If your tomato sauce has chunks of tomato or other vegetable, I recommend blending or pureeing the sauce. It will be easier to spread.

Combine the garlic and olive oil together apart from the tomato sauce. This may be blended into the tomato sauce before spreading, or drizzled over the pizza after the cheese is added. (Or even after it's cooked.)




7    Slide a peel or paddle at least the size of your pizza dough under the parchment paper holding the pizza. Gently peel away the plastic wrap. Spoon tomato sauce over dough. Distribute grated cheeses over tomato sauce. (Here's where I add other toppings: diced onions, chopped (cooked) greens like rapini, kale, or spinach, etc.) Sprinkle oregano, salt, and pepper over cheese.

Note: Since you're using parchment paper, the peel does not need to be floured. The pizza cooks directly on the parchment.







8    Slide pizza with parchment paper onto preheated oven stone. Reduce temperature to 480° F about halfway through cooking. Total cook time is about 12 minutes or until cheese bubbles and begins to brown. Remove pizza and parchment with peel and place onto an inverted pizza pan or other surface that can withstand cutting. May be sliced using a pizza wheel or knife. The crust on this pizza is crunchy, not soft.

Enjoy!


Update: Here's a photo with some broccoli rabe (rapini) as a topping. Almost 5 years later, I'm still making it.
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