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How to make Hubbard squash bread

Hubbard squash bread is a simple homemade quick bread recipe that is full of autumnal flavors. Topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar crown, this delicious loaf stays moist for days with the addition of applesauce and cooked squash. It is one of our favorite Hubbard squash recipes to make during the cooler fall months.

Hubbard squash bread with butter on wooden board.

Save the seeds from your squash to make roasted Hubbard squash seeds. They are a tasty and healthy snack.

Hubbard squash bread

The first bit of business when making any kind of squash bread is cooking the squash. This is something I would recommend doing ahead of time. Doing this the day before saves you the trouble of having to wait for it to cool when you’re ready to bake.

If you’ve always wanted to know how to bake Hubbard squash whole, I wrote an entire post on it.

Buttered Hubbard squash bread on parchment paper.

The other choice is to split it in half, and roast it in the oven, like you would for this stuffed Hubbard squash recipe. Choose whichever method works best for you.

This quick bread recipe is great for breakfast, but I really enjoy it with an afternoon cup of tea as a little snack. It’s a terrific thing to have on hand for friends popping by to visit.

What do I need to make this squash bread?

The recipe for Hubbard squash bread uses common pantry ingredients. You are likely to have everything you need already, if you keep a well-stocked spice cabinet.

One word of caution on the spices, though. If you are unsure how long some of your spices have been in the cabinet, it’s probably a good idea to replace them.

We’re all guilty of this, myself included. Look for an expiration date, or my preferred method, smell it. Take the top off and stick your nose in there. Is it still strong or has the smell faded, or worse, gone off a tad? The oils in spices can turn, so if it smells a little rancid, replace it.

Ingredients for Hubbard squash bread on blue background.

Another clue to look for is color – is it still vibrant or does it look a bit muted and lackluster? If so, you know what the answer is. Now, gather all of your ingredients and let’s get this bread going.

Below is a list of what I’ve used in this Hubbard squash bread recipe. There are links to the exact item I own, when possible. The most important item would be the loaf pan. Please measure the pan you are using, as they are not all the same.

  • 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan – This is the same loaf pan that I used in the recipe. The exact measurements for this pan are 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75.
  • Mixing bowls – You will need two medium sized mixing bowls.
  • Whisk – I really like a balloon whisk, use whatever you have.
  • Rubber spatula – You’ll need a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit of batter from the bowl and to smooth the top.
  • Parchment paper – I cut pieces of parchment to make a sling inside the pan. You could also spray with baking spray (the kind with flour in it), or you can butter and flour your pan. The choice is yours.
  • Food scale – Weighing flour is much more accurate than scooping to measure. A scale is something you will use often in baking and I cannot recommend it enough.

Procedure

Quick breads use the same method as making muffins, which is generally known as “the muffin method”. You can read about it in this pumpkin muffin recipe, but the general idea is that wet ingredients are mixed in one bowl and dry ingredients are mixed in a separate bowl.

They are then combined together and baked. It’s very straightforward and great for beginner bakers.

To make the batter for the squash bread, gather the ingredients, two mixing bowls, a whisk and a spatula.

Dry ingredients in mixing bowl.

First, combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Wet ingredients for squash bread.

Next, combine all of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour into dry ingredients. Stir to combine or use an electric mixer to beat it until combined. Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan.

Sprinkling sugar on top of bread batter in pan.

Smooth the top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of bread before sliding into the oven.

Baked Hubbard squash bread in loaf pan.

Remove from the oven when a skewer comes out clean, then let the bread cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack before removing from the pan to cool completely.

Cooling bread on rack.

Substitutions and suggested mix-ins

If Hubbard squash is unavailable, don’t worry! You can substitute with butternut squash, kabocha squash or buttercup squash. Use whatever is available to you, or your personal favorite.

I topped this loaf of Hubbard squash bread with a cinnamon sugar blend. I tried it two ways – one with regular granulated sugar and one with raw (Demerara or Turbinado) sugar. They were both delicious, but I really enjoyed the crunch of the raw sugar.

Slices of squash bread with cinnamon sugar top.

Just look at that crunchy top! This was my test loaf, I left a few pieces of squash in the batter instead of mixing it completely smooth. I stirred it up by hand instead of using an electric mixer – partly for testing and partly because I’m lazy and didn’t feel like getting it out for 3 minutes of work.

The texture was actually quite nice, so if you don’t feel like dragging out an appliance to make this bread, you don’t have to.

For mix-ins, chopped nuts would be great in this Hubbard squash bread, as would chocolate chips or dried cranberries. In place of the cinnamon sugar tops, you could sprinkle pepita seeds on top instead for a more savory finish.

Hubbard squash recipes

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Hubbard Squash Bread

Cheryl Bennett
Hubbard squash bread is a simple quick bread recipe that is full of autumnal flavors.
4.84 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast and brunch recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 325 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all purpose flour 8.5 oz.
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon + 1 tsp. cinnamon for topping optional
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 8 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 stick, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 cup cooked Hubbard squash
  • 2 tbsp. raw sugar for top (or 1 tbsp. granulated)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan – line with parchment paper, butter and flour the pan or spray with baking spray (whichever method works best for you). Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas mark 4.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Set aside.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, sugars, vanilla, butter and cooked Hubbard squash. You can beat together with an electric mixer or whisk by hand. Just make sure they are well combined.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula stir and fold batter until combined (or use an electric mixer and beat for 2 – 3 minutes). A few small spots of flour is ok, make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so no large pockets of flour remain.
  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
  • Mix remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tbsp. raw sugar together, then sprinkle over the top of the batter.
  • Bake for 55 – 70 minutes, until a tester or skewer comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs attached.
  • Cool on a rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out and cool completely on a wire rack.

Video

Notes

Cooking the Hubbard squash ahead of time is a great timesaver. Do this the day before to save yourself having to bake it and wait for it to cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 403mgFiber: 2gSugar: 33g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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2 Comments

  1. Why are there so many popups/videos/ads on this page? Every paragraph there’s something that pops up plus the video that plays on the left bottom side of the screen? It makes this recipe unreadable so i’ll be going elsewhere.

    1. Hello, Kyle. All you need to do is press the “x” to close it out. Also, the reason there are ads on my site, just like every other site on the entire internet, is so I can earn money for the content that I provide to you for FREE. Running a website, paying for groceries, equipment, electricity, etc. is expensive. The way I make a living is through ads on my site. You’ll find this is the case for virtually every blogger on the web. I hope you find what you’re looking for…

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