I had a butternut squash that needed to be used up and I needed bread. This recipe seemed like a good way of dealing with both things at once.

I probably should've given my starter a bit longer to ferment. It didn't really seem like it had reached peak activity by the time I was mixing up the dough. But I was tired and just wanted some bread, so I went ahead with it all the same. The bread came out fine. The flavour and crumb were nice. The crust was good. I'm sure it would've been nicer with a more active starter, but the results were decent even with my sub-optimal timing.

Butternut Squash Sourdough

Slightly adapted from Sourdough.com

Ingredients

First Preferment

• 25g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 50g flour
• 50mL water

Second Preferment

• first preferment
• 125g flour
• 125mL water

Dough

• 264mL water
• 320g butternut squash, roasted and peeled
• 840g flour¹
• 18g coarse sea salt
• 240g second preferment²
• 50g sunflower seeds

Directions

First Preferment

1. Combine starter, flour, and water and mix thoroughly.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

Second Preferment

1. Combine first preferment, flour, and water and mix thoroughly.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 4-8 hours.

Dough

1. Combine water and squash in a blender and puré until smooth.
2. Combine flour and salt.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the squash puré and the second preferment (you will not need it all).
4. Mix, working from the centre outward, until just combined and a rough dough is formed.
5. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
6. Turn the dough out onto an oiled surface and knead for 1-2 minutes.
7. Adjust the consistency with more flour or water as needed. The dough should be fairly loose.
8. Return the dough to the covered bowl and rest for another 10 minutes, then knead it (on an oiled surface) for another minute or two.
9. Rest and knead the dough one more time.
10. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rest for 30 minutes.
11. Stretch and fold the dough, then turn it over and rest for another 30-60 minutes.
12. Keep stretching at 30-60 minute intervals for ~3 hours.
13. Flatten the dough into a large rectangle and sprinkle with half the sunflower seeds. Fold the dough into thirds and then shape into a ball. Return to covered bowl to rest for another 30-60 minutes.
14. Flatten the dough again and sprinkle with the remaining seeds. Fold into thirds and shape into a ball.
15. If the dough still seems a bit lethargic, give it a few more stretch-and-folds (at 30-60 minute intervals) until it seems more active.
16. Once the dough seems nice and peppy, divide it into 2-4 equal portions (depending on whether you want large loaves or baguettes).
17. Round each portion, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
18. Shape each portion as desired and transfer to fridge overnight.
19. In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F).
20. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with with cornmeal.
21. Once the oven is preheated, pour a few cups of boiling water into a large pan and place it on the lower oven rack.
22. Transfer your shaped loaves to the prepared pan and slash as desired.
23. Place the baking sheet with the loaves on the middle rack (above the pan of boiling water).
24. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 10-15 minutes.
25. Reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and carefully remove the water pan from the oven. Bake for another 5-30 minutes (depending on the size of your loaves).
27. Once loaves are done (sound hollow when underside is tapped), turn the oven off and leave the bread in the hot oven for 10 minutes.
28. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.