Last week there was a very rainy, cold day, so I knew I had to make something warm. Nic had brought home a butternut squash, and I found a super easy crockpot recipe, so that was an easy decision-crockpots make things very convenient. I also hadn't baked any bread since moving to Toronto, so I figured that was the day! The recipe I used makes one loaf pan, perfect for the two of us.
Ingredients for the bread:
3/4 cup warm water (you don't want to kill the yeast if it's too hot)
1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 cup milk
About 3 cups flour
Step 1:
In a bowl of warm water, dissolve the yeast. If it starts to get gloopy, it's working!
Step 2:
In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, shortening, and milk.
Step 3:
Slowly combine 2 cups of flour into the bowl of dried goods.
Step 4:
On a floured surface (or in your stand mixer) knead the dough until it is soft, not sticky.
Getting the right texture for the dough can be challenging. For years I baked bread and kneaded it by hand, so I now can tell just by looking at it if it'll turn out right.
You want the dough to be sticky to the touch, but easily pull off the sides of your bowl.
Step 5:
Butter a large bowl, and put the dough inside to rise for an hour.
If you have a sunny windowsill, cover the dough and place it there so the warmth will help activate the yeast. Another option is to put it in the oven with the light on.
Step 6:
Punch down the dough, and transfer to your buttered loaf pan. Let it rise for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven at 375*F.
"Score" with 3 cuts across the top, and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
This time that I baked it, it was almost done around 30 minutes, so I tented it with foil to make sure the outside stayed the same, but the inside baked more.
Time to start the soup! Check out the original post on Gimme Some Oven.
Soup ingredients:
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
The original recipe also uses 1 diced white onion (I hadn't realized we had run out!), fresh sage, and coconut milk
Step 1:
Peel, de-seed, and dice the butternut squash. Prep the rest of the fruits and vegetables.
Step 2:
Add everything into the crockpot and stir. Cook the soup on low for 6-8 hours, or 3-4 hours on high.
Step 3:
Once the soup is cooked and the ingredients are softened, blend them up. If you're using an immersion blender, make sure the sides of the container are much taller than the height of the soup! We're lucky enough to own a Blendtec, which can blend up the hot soup all in one go.
Fresh bread and delicious soup is always a good decision on a cold day! You can add coconut milk, regular milk, or sour cream to the soup when eating it to get a little more creaminess.
I already miss that bread!
