This post brought to you by P.F. Chang’s. All opinions are 100% mine.
I love the flavors of Fall. Not only does the Fall season supply us with delicious ingredients like apples and pumpkins and other winter squash, but the cooler temperatures make baking near a hot oven and cooking comforting soups and stews an enjoyable experience (I’m sure I’m not the only one who would rather not be near a hot stove or oven during the hot months of Summer!).
This weekend, I baked a brand new bread that I can’t get enough of. Between the smells that filled the kitchen while I was baking and the perfectly blended flavors that I’ve been enjoying ever since….I am in love with this bread!
I have never baked with butternut squash, and while it is somewhat similar to pumpkin, the flavor is totally different. The butternut squash paired perfectly well with Granny Smith apples, and the candied walnuts literally topped this bread off for a perfect finish.
Butternut Squash Candied Apple Bread
- 2⅔ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup shortening
- 2 cups pureed cooked butternut squash
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup water
- 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup chopped candied walnuts (I like my nuts chopped pretty small)
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Spray two 9×5-inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar and shortening together. Add butternut squash, eggs, and water to sugar mixture.
- In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; stir into the both with the wet ingredients until fully combined. Add nuts and apples; stir until batter is just blended. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
- Bake at 350° for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes before removing.
P.F. Chang’s Fall Seasonal Menu
You know who else has some amazing Fall flavors? One of my favorite restaurants ever: P.F. Chang’s! Check out their brand new Fall Seasonal Menu, full of delicious Fall ingredients like butternut squash, apples, prawns, Fresno peppers, brussels sprouts, red quinoa, and more.
The Fall menu includes:
- Shanghai Waldorf Salad
- Crispy Korean Chicken Wings
- Citrus Mustard Prawns
- Miso Chicken
- Ginger Jalapeno Mule and Apple Cinnamon Martini
- Harvest Vegetable Quinoa ‘Fried Rice’
- Caramel Apple Wontons
- Vietnamese Noodles with Steak and Shrimp
- Pumpkinn Dessert Wontons
Not only does P.F. Chang’s have a host of new foods to try, they are also hosting The Goodness of Fall Contest, where contestants can enter recipes that use at least 3 of P.F. Chang’s Fall-inspired ingredients from their new Fall Seasonal Menu (like the recipe I’ve featured above!).
The top 5 recipes will then be submitted to a panel of judges, which includes Philip Chiang (co-founder of P.F. Chang’s), Yuji Iwasa (head development chef at P.F. Chang’s), Mary Melton, director of beverage at P.F. Chang’s, and Jennifer Chong (a blogger partner).
How to enter:
Submit a recipe to be entered to win a daily prize of one $50 P.F. Chang’s gift card. The GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a two-night trip for two to Napa Valley in the Spring of 2014. The trip includes an exclusive chef’s dinner at a vineyard where judges Philip Chiang and Yuji Iwasa will be cooking some of their favorite dishes. P.F. Chang’s Director of Beverage Mary Melton will lead the wine tasting.
Ready to get started? Check out The Goodness of Fall Contest on Facebook, Follow @pfchangs on Twitter, and Follow P.F. Chang’s on Pinterest…And then hurry to P.F. Chang’s to experience the new seasonal dishes for yourself! Even better – on the The Goodness of Fall Contest page, you can print off a $10 off $40 special offer to use the next time you go out to eat at P.F. Chang’s. Awesome!
Which Fall dish from P.F. Chang’s are you most excited to try?
© 2013, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
oh my gosh, the bread sounds delicious! the muffins are adorable!
I have never baked with squash before but this bread looks mouth watering. I really want to try this recipe!
The Butternut Squash Candied Apple Bread looks delicious! Reminds me of my banana bread, so I”d love to try it!
i have never heard of this before but now I really want to try it. This is perfect for the Fall season thanks for sharing this one.