Winter Squash Bread with Coconut Filling

Ops, I guess we have another blue moon today. It's snowing, it's cold, it's a perfect day to bake, and I have a pile of butternut squash sitting there...

Winter Squash Bread with Coconut Filling

Yields 4 small loafs

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package dry yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoon

8 cups flour or less, sifted

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter

¾ cup warm water (around 110 F)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 egg

2 cups pumpkin or winter squash puree

Filling:

1 can condensed milk

4 oz unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon butter

Wash:

1 egg yolk

Directions:

If making the squash puree from scratch: cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet, skin side down. Bake in 350 F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until soft. Remove the squash from the oven, scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork. Don’t forget to roast the seeds!

Dough: mix the butter with warm squash puree and reserve. In a large bowl, mix sugar, salt, yeast, warm water and one cup of flour until the mix is creamy and homogeneous. Add the squash puree, the egg and mix well.

Add flour little by little until the dough is not too sticky, about 7 cups or less. Cover and allow to rest until the volume doubles, about 45 minutes.

Filling: mix the coconut, condensed milk and butter in a medium bowl. Split in 4 equal portions.

Assembling: preheat the oven to 350F and grease 4 bread pans. Divide the dough in 4 equal portions. In a surface sprinkled with flour, open each dough portion with a rolling pin to make a rectangle. Spread coconut filling and roll the rectangle. Put the dough roll in the pan, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Brush each loaf with egg yolk wash, sprinkle some coconut on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.