Squashed Banana Bread
I discovered a new to me squash recently called a honeynut squash. They are shaped like a butternut squash but are much smaller. I cooked up a couple of them to give them a try and found that the flesh was quite sweet and very dense. I knew that they would be the perfect variety to use in desserts, so I looked through my files for the perfect recipe.
I’m not much of a dessert person, but I would never say no to a slice of moist, dense banana bread, so I decided to combine squash and bananas in a loaf. The combination was very successful, giving the bread a subtle sweetness without being overly sweet. You can almost taste the banana, and almost taste the squash, but it is difficult to figure out exactly what the ingredients are by taste alone. This recipe makes two loaves, but since they freeze well, I wrapped the second loaf well and froze it to enjoy in the future.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele Revised 2022
Squashed Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Cooked Pureed Squash
- 1 Cup Mashed Very Ripe Bananas (About 2 Medium)
- 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts, Plus Another 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts For The Top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease two (8 x 4 inch) loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, extract, squash, and bananas until mixed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a wooden spoon just until blended.
- Stir in the cup of chopped walnuts.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans.
- Sprinkle the loaves with the remaining chopped walnuts, then bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool loaves for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool completely before slicing.
