Squash Bread

Malted Wheat Flour, Vadouvan, and Brown Butter

Baker Estevan Silva of Quince, Cotogna & Verjus | San Francisco

Yield: Thirty 30-gram loaves


Adapted by StarChefs | June 2019

INGREDIENTS:

1 large squash (butternut, Koginut, or honeynut), peeled, halved, seeded
Sugar
441 grams unbleached malted wheat flour
10 grams fine sea salt
4 grams instant osmotolerant yeast
5 grams vadouvan curry powder
127 grams cold milk
65 grams egg, chilled
60 grams French butter, cold and pliable
Neutral oil
Brown butter, melted

METHOD:

Heat oven to 400ºF. Wrap squash in aluminum foil and place on a sheet tray. Roast until very tender; cool. In a food processor, purée squash. Wrap purée in cheesecloth, tie tightly with twine, and hang over a receptacle in a refrigerator overnight. Scale squash and record weight. In a small saucepot over low flame, combine squash and sugar at a ratio of 10:1. Cook to a thick paste, cool, and transfer to a piping bag. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook, combine flour, salt, yeast, vadouvan, milk, egg, 44 grams sugar, and 154 grams squash paste. Mix on speed 1 for 5 minutes. Increase speed to 2 and mix 3 to 4 minutes. Add cold butter and mix on speed 1 for 4 minutes. Increase speed to 2 and mix until dough reaches full gluten, about 5 minutes (apply windowpane test to check). Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and ferment at room temperature 2 hours. Divide dough into 30-gram portions and shape into balls. Transfer to sheet tray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and rest in refrigerator at least 45 minutes. Using a dowel, roll out dough into flat rounds. Pipe a pinky-sized amount of Squash Paste into center of each round. Gently fold each corner of dough over filling. Form into balls, making sure to pinch edges to seal tightly. Take 18-inch piece of twine and place dough on center of twine. Take two ends of twine over center, twisting twine to wrap over perpendicularly and form a cross, making sure to not tie too tightly. Repeat this twice more, finishing with 8 triangular segments. Your end product should resemble a squash. Repeat the same process for each dough ball. Transfer dough to sheet tray, knot-side down. Cover loosely with plastic and let rest at room temperature until dough is light and gassy, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350ºF. Brush each dough generously with brown butter and bake 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately brush again with brown butter. Let cool slightly, cut twine, and carefully remove twine from bread.


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