Squash in bread is yummier than you think:)

( my son got really excited when he saw that I was making these:)
( I over baked these ones a little bit... but they were still scrumptious. You don't want them to be quite this dark.)

So I have loved this recipe for a long time now, and we made it the other night for some friends we had over for dinner and I thought I would share it on here for anyone who might be interested in FABULOUS bread!

Scott found this recipe on Allrecipes.com a long time ago. I am always wanting to make it but never get a round to it because it is kind of a "Fall" thing. I've changed it up a bit to make it yummier, ( to me anyway) it was good to begin with though.

So here ya go!

Butternut squash braid bread

2 1/4 teaspoon of dry active yeast ( or one packet)

2 tablespoons warm water ( 115 degrees is what the recipe says... but if you are like me and you don't test your water... just guess, mine has worked out every time. So either I am a great guesser or just warm tap water is fine:)

mix these two together in a small bowl and let sit while you put the rest together.

1 cup butternut squash cooked and mashed. ( I use two cups, because I really like the taste to be stronger. But if you are not a huge fan of squash just use one cup, you wouldn't even know it was in the bread.)

1/3 cup warm milk ( make sure you don't forget to warm the milk!)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter softened ( I know enough butter to kill a cow... oh well what can ya do, it makes this bread taste delicious!)

1 egg

Mix that up really well and then add the yeast mixture and mix again. Then add 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour. mix well and then add another 1 and 1/2 cups or until its dough. (This is where I changed it up a little too. I used half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. Honestly it tastes exactly the same. )

the dough is going to be very very sticky, but it should hold together. It is so dry here in vegas that I try not to add too much flour. Take dough out of bowl and knead on a floured surface. keep adding flour to keep it from sticking to the counter and your hands. Trust me this is sticky business! You knead it fro 7-8 mins, until nice and elastic the recipe says. It will still be sticky don't worry. spray some pam in a bowl and put dough in and cover with towel. Let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

once doubled, punch down and take out. This is another change I've made. you can cut it into three pieces roll out and braid pinching down the ends. It makes a beautiful looking bread for dinner parties or whatever. Or you can do what I do, and cut it into twelve pieces and make knotted dinner rolls. You basically roll them out and tie them in a knot pinching the ends underneath. I just like being able to hand my kids a roll rather than slicing them a piece of bread. Because I always forget to cover bread back up and then it dries out:( so this is simply to help me because I am forgetful!:)

Grease a cookie sheet or put parchment paper down. place bread/ rolls on top and let rise for half hour, or until doubled in size.

take 1 tablespoon water and one egg. Mix together and brush on tops of rolls/bread, then bake at 325 for twenty mins. Keep checking them though. My oven always cooks them faster than that. You pull them out when the tops just start to turn a golden brown.

I love this recipe! I hope someone else enjoys it too!