Butternut squash bread

photo credit: randaderkson.com

1 1/2 cups mashed cooked squash or pumpkin**

3 eggs

3/4 cup maple sugar (cane sugar works too)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or a gluten free mix will work)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1/4 cup finely chopped dates or crystallized ginger, optional

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, to garnish, optional

**To cook the squash, slice off the top and bottom half inch with a sharp, study knife, then cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Place in a baking tray or dish with a tablespoon or two of water, and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until very soft. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh. Don't worry if a little bit of skin gets mixed in- it shouldn't be too tough. If you bake a whole squash, you’ll probably have more than you need for this recipe, but you can save or freeze the remaining flesh for a future batch of bread or another recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt.

Use a wooden spoon to combine until no lumps remain. Mix in the dates or ginger if using.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle sunflower seeds/walnuts on top if using.

Bake for 55 minutes-1 hour or until the tester comes out clean in the middle of the bread.

Cool bread for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.