Squash Braid

This recipe is fabulous! I grow butternut squash and have 3 bushels to use. Though I freeze a great deal of it to use through the Winter, this is exactly the type of recipe I was looking for, something to use butternut for that is unique, pretty and delicious. I made it in my bread machine to dough stage, then took it out let it rest 15 minutes after punching down. Mine had a tone of air bubbles in it but I soon discovered that is what made this the lightest most tender danish style dough I have ever eaten. Roll it out to a roughly 16x12 inch rectangle, dont try and work out all the bubbles. Spread with 1/2 stick softened butter. Mix 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/3 c raisins, 1/3 c finely chopped nuts, 1/8 c. orange juice. Spread this mixture over buttered dough, roll up fairly tight, twist and shape into circle on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 till med golden brown. I also replaced the 2 Tbsp of water in the recipe with 2 Tbsp orange juice. Unbelievable, thank you for submitting this recipe.

I made this bread as one loaf and a roll (so I could taste it earlier!) with several modifications. Instead of the squash, I used canned pumpkin (had some that needed using). I also used 1/2 white whole wheat flour and 1/2 stone ground whole wheat flour. The last modification I made was to use honey and molasses in place of the brown sugar. This bread turned out beautifully. Using the pumpkin gave it a rich color (more than I think you'd get with the squash) and the flavor is subtle, but fantastic. The bread, even though it is with 100% whole wheat, is delicate, soft and light. Next time I make it, I may add a little more molasses and maybe a pinch of nutmeg. I will certainly make this bread again- as a braid or as rolls- both worked out great. Thanks for a great recipe.

I finally made this bread tonight with dinner. It was wonderful. Great smell and fantastic taste and texture. I followed the recipe exactly. I would not change a thing. For those who said it was 'tasteless', perhaps you don't realize that squash (I used Butternut Squash) has a very delicate taste. It is not bold, nor is this bread. The butternut flavor came through without question. This is not a sweet bread (as in dessert), so don't let the little bit of Brown Sugar scare you. It's a fantastic treat for the palate and is hearty enough to go great with dinner.

This bread is utterly fantastic. It's sweet and light and I could not stop eating it!!! I may grow more squash next year just to use to make this bread!

This bread was delicious. I only waited 30 minutes for the dough to rise and then 10 more once it was braided. I also only made one giant loaf. It came out perfect and everyone loved it!

This makes a great bread that the entire family loved. It can be a little tedious to make sure the temp is correct on the water and milk, but as bread making goes...this one is easy. Instead of dividing it for 2 loaves I made one large loaf.

I loved it. I added about a tablespoon of dried rosemary to the dough, and sprinkled with it also along with some kosher salt. Delicious!

Excellent recipe! I modified it by using wheat flour instead of whole wheat flour. I also substituted maple syrup for the sugar. I also added some maple syrup to the final egg wash. I think this recipe would be great with raisins in the dough; I am going to try that next time.

I used Acorn Squash for this recipe. The bread is fantastic. It makes a huge loaf so I took half of it to share at work and it was gone before I could get a piece myself. Soft and slightly sweet on the inside and "just right" crunchy outside.

A great idea to serve a more savory bread to compliment a Christmas turkey dinner. It didn't go over as well as I expected. The very yellow colour and too soft crust are what I didn't care for. I would liken the texture to that of a croissant. The dough was very easy to work with and the actual bread texture was quite good. I baked it in a round shape and served it with pats of both sage and whipped butter. I'll save most of it to hopefully make a good toast. I may look around to improve this bread or opt for another recipe. Thanks anyway.

A nice and easy bread recipe. The dough was a dream to work with. The bread went together easily. As did another reviewer, I rushed the rise times with no problem. I gave it approximately 40 minutes on its first rise and maybe 15 on it's second rise. I did make sure and keep it in a warm/draft free area. The inside was tender, airy and moist. The crust was also fairly soft but had a nice texture. I used "white whole wheat" flour as it is what I had on hand. I can't imagine it made much of a difference. In our family an entire butternut squash is too much. This allowed me to use some in the bread and the rest roasted as a side to our roasted chicken. Thanks!

There are few comments on this bread being bland and I would agree. HOWEVER, i'm pretty sure this will be easily fixed with a little more salt. I think it probably needs about 3/4t. Other than that, the texture is awesome!! It is very moist, soft bread. I absolutely think this recipe will be perfect with a little more salt. It's almost perfect as it is (that's why I still gave it 5 stars). I also divided my bread (w/ a scale) and made one braid and a 9in round pan of 7 rolls. We've already eaten the rolls (still baked at 20 min) and they were fantastic. We haven't had the braid yet.

This was a lot of fun to make, but considering the squash flavor is so subtle, I'd just as soon make regular bread and use my squash for something else. On the other hand, I think the squash gave this bread a nice texture if not flavor.

This was my first time ever making yeast bread, and it came out great. I was so surprised! Regarding others' reviews, sure, it doesn't taste particularly squashy or sweet, but I think it just tastes like good bread. My husband is definitely a fan, based on how he keeps coming out to pull off another piece.

Excellent bread! No, it's not "squashy" in taste, but great texture and flavor.

I made this bread with one minor change: I used Hubbard squash, because that is what was we had from the garden. I kept all the other ingredients as per the recipe, but I made it in my stand mixer and let the dough hook do all the work. I made 2 braided loaves. One came undone at one end (not the recipe's fault, more like the cook's) But, it looked OK and everyone loved it, including me. It is great toasted or just eaten with butter and jam. Definitely a keeper. Did not last long enought to make sandwiches. It was gone in less than a day.

I have made this bread a couple of times and it is wonderful in appearance, flavour and texture. The braid makes for a great presentation and everyone raved about it at Christmas Dinner. I used a package of cubed squash from Costco and cooked it in the microwave which saves a lot of work in cutting and peeling. Thank you for posting such a wonderful recipe. I now have trouble keeping up with all the requests!

I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it. I didn't change a thing.

This is the best yeast bread I've ever eaten. I used a cup of mashed leftover roasted butternut squash cubes that I had previously seasoned with thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roasted squash is sweeter than boiled; I think that added to the flavor. The bread wasn't too sweet, however. I put all the ingredients into my bread machine and used the dough cycle. I needed to add 1/2 c more flour, but the dough still finished very soft/sticky. I formed it into a long loaf with as little handling as possible (didn't want to add more flour and wind up with dry bread) and baked it on a well-greased cookie sheet (I didn't use the egg wash). It came out so soft with a perfect crumb. This is a great recipe; thank you so much for sharing!

This was easy, fun and delicious! It turned out perfectly, just like the picture. I will be making this again and often!

I made this without altering the recipe at all. This is probably one of the best bread recipes I have ever used. The dough is so soft and nice to handle. The texture of the bread is beautiful and the taste....well, you just want to keep eating it. Definately a 5 star recipe!

This bread looked beautiful and smelled delicious coming out of the oven, but it just wasn't very flavorful. It didn't taste bad; it just didn't really taste at all. I even used slightly more than the one cup of squash called for. If I were to make it again, I'd add more sugar and probably sprinkle some rock sugar on the top, or else increase the salt and use some herbs for flavoring. But I won't make this recipe again. If I am going to take the time to bake homemade bread, I'll stick to flavorful challah bread or even traditional french bread. Save your butternut squash for risotto!

This bread was just ok for me. It smelled awesome baking but had little flavor. I even put cinnamon in it thinking that it would make it tastier. I think it may be better with a cinnamon sugar infused butter. I guess I was just expecting something sweeter.

This was my first bread baking experience so it took me a little while. But I do believe I know why that one reviewer needed 5 cups of flour instead of 3. The directions do not say to drain the butternut squash after boiling it so perhaps that person mashed the squash with the water still in the pot. I say this because mine was hard to mix up with 3 cups and I had to stop and think about draining the squash when I was following the directions. Unfortunately I thought I put just over a cup of squash in the mix, but after I braided the dough and was washing the dishes I realized I had used a 1/2 cup and not a 1 cup measure. So I think the bread may have been dryer that it was supposed to be. But I agree that the bread needs something. While I was eating it I thought perhaps the cinnamon spiced butter at Texas Roadhouse or apple butter would work great.

Fantastic! Followed just as is and it came out soft and wonderful.

amazing.. i make it every year for thanksgiving!

My first bread and it turned out amazing!

great recipe! it was a favorite in my house!

This bread had wonderful texture, but it was a bit bland. I wasn't expecting it to taste "squashy" and it didn't. The one thing I've discovered about squash in baking is that it keeps the final product very moist and tender, not necessarily flavors it. Since that wasn't the goal, I wasn't disappointed that I couldn't taste the squash. I just thought the dough could've used more salt. I whipped up some maple butter to combat the somewhat tasteless bread and my double recipe (which I only made into two large loaves) disappeared faster than you can say "butternut squash." For texture alone, I will absolutely revisit this recipe, either adding more salt alone, or possible a little more sweetener also to make it into a sweet roll type base (filled or unfilled would both be good). Last thing - I used all whole wheat flour and this bread still had light and fluffy texture.

I'm a novice at making bread, and this recipe baffled me. Using three cups of flour, I ended up with a sticky, "un-kneadable" mess. I added two more cups of flour and kneaded it thoroughly; the bread came out beautiful and delicious. I'm still not sure if I've misinterpreted the recipe, but the final result was very good.

I have made this several times now and the family raves about it every time! Two loaves is not enough...all five kids and us two adults will eat those loaves in one sitting. They even ask me to make it more often. I have to buy a few squash and boil and mash to have on hand when you can't find it! Freezes good and tastes great every time!!! Thank you!

Was very easy and so yummy tonight at dinner. Everyone loved the sweetness and was alittle shocked there was squash in the bread. Will make it again!!!

Put all ingredients in bread machine. Wonderful consistency. A great accompaniment to any meal.

YUM! We couldn't stop eating it. The loaves smelled fantastic and had a wonderful light texture. I froze the extra cooked squash in 1 cup portions. Can't wait to make it again.

This is an outstanding and delicious recipe! Made just as written, except I did have to add a lot more flour to get a workable dough. (I live in FL & my kitchen temperature ranges from 70 to 80 degrees, & the humidity is all over the place, too, which very often makes a big difference in amount of flour or liquid.) This is a "white" bread recipe that is actually nutritious! And my husband unknowingly ate squash!! We finished one loaf in just a few hours, from just-out-of-the-oven tasting, to afternoon snack to dinner side dish. This is easily changed from sweet to savory, breakfast bread to dinner accompaniment, thanks to its mild flavor. Actually, I was in the midst of cooking butternut squash for soup, & looking for a new recipe, when I came across this one for bread. Happy day! Simple, easy & not nearly as long to make as many yeast breads, thanks to rapid rising times. This recipe could easily be made as 4 smaller loaves, for gifting or pot lucks or even to sell at local Farmer's Markets. Big time keeper!!

use at least double salt. bake as one large loaf 30 min.

The bread was moist and yummy! To cut the fat and incease the flavor I subsituted 1/4 of the butter for applesauce and I added cardamom spice for a bit more flavor. It turned out great! I also used 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flower and 1/2 cup of wheat germ instead of white flour.

i made this and it came out delicious! Nice and fluffy great flavor. only changes I made was instead of regular sugar I used coconut sugar . It was perfect! Great Recipe

I thought this was a very good recipe. The bread was soft and very tasty. You could very easily add spices and make this a savory bread or add brown sugar and cinnamon or fruit and make this into a sweet bread. I'm actually going to try and make some hamburger buns and see how that turns out. Yum!

Made it a few times, and its always perfect!

This bread definately deserves a 5. It is idiot proof. I even forgot to add the butter, and it still turned out amazing! After the egg wash, I sprinkled a medium grain salt, along with dried thyme leaves and it was fantastic. I made one big braid, and it was gone within 2 hours!

This recipe was a great find! this beautiful bread makes an excellent addition (and decoration) to a hearty family meal.

I made this vegan & it turned out great! I used egg replacer, soy milk & Earth Balance vegan butter. I added the picture (with the sriracha bottle in the background) for proof!

So good! I forgot to put the egg wash on the top. It was fine without it but is probably better with it. I think adding the squash in this recipe is genius. Thanks for posting!

So soft and flavorful! My husband loved it! I followed the recipe except that I used leftover butternut squash that already had butter, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in it. I still added brown sugar as the recipe called for. Only slightly sweet and still perfect to go with dinner. For anyone wanting to add more flavor to this I highly recommend adding a little bit of pumpkin pie spice.

I have had this recipe for ages and make it often. There is no better braid loaf. I always make two loaves so I can share.

This is very easy to follow! And the bread is amazing. Came out soft and fragrant. I missed the egg wash before putting in the oven I compensated by doing it 5minutes before taking our in the oven. It’s very forgiving

I use Allrecipes all the time and this is my favorite recipe!! Absolutely my favorite bread. The texture and taste are out of this world. I made no changes at all, except to add some kosher salt to the top before baking. Perfect!

This is a fantastic way to use a bumper crop of squash! Taste and texture very similar to Hawaiian Bread. Love it! will be making it for Thanksgiving

I have made this many time! Great each one. Today I found myself with an odd problem. With all the holiday parties I ended up with to much cheese cake. So today I made this instead of butter and squash I used about 6 slices of NY pumpkin spice cheese cake. ( no gram crust) other than that made to recipe. Think this was the BEST!!! Iced it with a drizzle cream cheese icing. Will so do again maybe add raisins next time.

This bread was just O.K. It was lacking flavor. I would add maybe some brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice if I made it again.

I love this recipe!! I first used this to make hot cross buns. I added raisins, doubled the sugar, a heaping teaspoon of salt, and made them into 3oz rolls. So good! I'm generally terrible at making bread. It often doesn't rise for me and is hard as a rock within 24 hours. This recipe however I have never had trouble with. It's great!

lovely earthy taste & texture to this recipe

This recipe was okay. The bread was a bit dense, and did not rise due to the squash. But you cannot add enough squash to really get that unique flavor. I tried this recipe twice, once as described and once with very dry roasted squash- but both times it ended up tasting like a suboptimal challah bread. The recipe might need some fine tuning.

Outstanding! This makes a soft, moist bread that looks lovely and tastes even better. I used acorn squash, which gave the loaf a lovely orange colour and a smooth texture. It does not taste 'squashy' at all, any more than potato bread tastes like potatoes. I made two braids on Saturday, and am making two more on Tuesday. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

This was my first try ever at home made bread! Success!!!! It came out great!

I made this bread to go with 2 different soups I made with my left over Christmas ham. Mine came out nicely crusted and so light on the inside. Very good bread. I am saving this recipe as I would like to try it with pumpkin and also sweet potatoes.This was the first time I ever made braided bread. I am happy with the outcome. Thank you for posting recipe.

I just made this bread recipe with Butternut Squash that my mother-in-law gave to me. I went ahead and steamed my squash in the oven. Then once it was not too hot, I scooped out the inside and pureed it in my blender and added it to the wet ingredients that I mixed till thoroughly combined in my mixer. I had to add more than 3 cups of flour, to get the right consistency, but I also added a cup of warm water when getting my yeast ready. Altogether, the only issue I had was braiding the loaves and I requested some assistance from my husband, which was quite comical. End Result: The taste of the bread wasn't squashy at all and it was actually really good when you spread some real butter on it! I didn't find it to be bland or too soft and would definitely make this recipe again. If you follow the instructions, the bread should come out great, even with some personal tweaks to the recipe. Note: I used a whole butternut squash, instead of a cup.

I was looking for something to make with leftover squash and this was perfect! The bread was very light and moist. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks!

This is my first yeast-bread experience. I usually make my bread in my handy dandy bread machine, but this looked so festive I had to give it a try. My mom walked me through kneading and explained how to braid it. I followed another reviewers suggestion and made a small sample roll on the side. Moist and mild, and very fluffy. Instead of two loaves I made one large, beautiful shiny braid. I love it!

Yes I will make it again but mostly because it's pretty and I grew like 20 giant squash. The liquid ratio is off by a lot. Someone mentioned needing 5 cups flour and I believe it. I roasted my squash then pureed it and after 3 cups of flour the dough was still goop (I have made this 2 times same results). Now it was fixable the first time I kneeded by hand the goop until it was dough and it definitely soaked up over an extra cup of flour. The second time I did it with my dough hook and just added flour until the right consistency. I think adding a bit of extra salt is a good idea.

Delicious

Nice enough, but very little flavour from the squash. The colour was fantastic, but I just wanted a bit more sweetness and intensity of flavour. It also dried out quickly, but made for some nice french toast (I also have a bit in the freezer that are destined to be croutons)

This recipe was okay. The bread was a bit dense, and did not rise due to the squash. But you cannot add enough squash to really get that unique flavor. I tried this recipe twice, once as described and once with very dry roasted squash- but both times it ended up tasting like a suboptimal challah bread. The recipe might need some fine tuning.

this bread is YUMMY!! turns out great even if you dont rise it all the way. It is better fresh so eat it all !(:

It was alright. It was my first time using yeast and I could have totally messed it up that way, but as others stated, the flavor was lacking. I made it exactly as directed and I think I will try some new things next time. I also had a difficult time making it not too sticky, though in the end the texture came out perfect. Maybe I'll try molasses or nutmeg like others suggested.

Best use of squash I've ever known! I'm not much of a squash fan. I convince my wife, the break maker in the family, to make this recipe, it is sweet and delicious. Good toasted with butter.

Subbed coconut milk and margarine for the dairy. East, good texture, etc, just kind of bland. Would make an excellent French toast.