I have a lovely kabocha squash that I’ve roasted and would like use in sourdough. I usually bake a modified version of the Tartine sourdough. Any suggestions on how much to add? I really like where my bread is now.
I tried using roast winter squash in an empanda filling a while ago, but I cooked it too long and it became too limp for my taste. I wanted little squash chunks that resisted a bite slightly. You could think of the squash as a kind of yudane (aka tangzhong), that is, a gelled starch, such as is often added to sandwich-style breads. You want to remember that the cooked squash is going to contain a lot of water. I found numbers of 87% and 88% water content on line. Not all of that water will act as a free liquid in the dough but you will want to reduce the water you use. You will need to experiment a little to find the best amount.
Judging from my empanada filling, use more squash than you think you will need, otherwise the flavor may not show up much, since it will be muted by the flour. OTOH, too much squash will add too much water, so there's a limit.
There have been many posts here and other good sources, The Perfect Loaf etc using pumpkin in breads. Water is always a concern. I’d think that your squash could be treated like pumpkin.
I've only cooked one kabocha, but it was drier and much starchier than any other winter squash I've ever had. It was downright chalky after a fairly brief roasting.
Though the USDA food data puts kabocha in the ballpark of pumpkin in terms of water content, I don't think that's accurate to the ones available in stores. Here's a Reddit post on the subject. The original poster sent a sample of kabocha to a food lab and got very different results than USDA nutritional info; the comment I'm linking to is someone offering an explanation for the discrepancy. It makes sense with what I've experienced.
I tried using roast winter squash in an empanda filling a while ago, but I cooked it too long and it became too limp for my taste. I wanted little squash chunks that resisted a bite slightly. You could think of the squash as a kind of yudane (aka tangzhong), that is, a gelled starch, such as is often added to sandwich-style breads. You want to remember that the cooked squash is going to contain a lot of water. I found numbers of 87% and 88% water content on line. Not all of that water will act as a free liquid in the dough but you will want to reduce the water you use. You will need to experiment a little to find the best amount.
Judging from my empanada filling, use more squash than you think you will need, otherwise the flavor may not show up much, since it will be muted by the flour. OTOH, too much squash will add too much water, so there's a limit.
Let us know how it comes out.
TomP
There have been many posts here and other good sources, The Perfect Loaf etc using pumpkin in breads. Water is always a concern. I’d think that your squash could be treated like pumpkin.
I've only cooked one kabocha, but it was drier and much starchier than any other winter squash I've ever had. It was downright chalky after a fairly brief roasting.
Though the USDA food data puts kabocha in the ballpark of pumpkin in terms of water content, I don't think that's accurate to the ones available in stores. Here's a Reddit post on the subject. The original poster sent a sample of kabocha to a food lab and got very different results than USDA nutritional info; the comment I'm linking to is someone offering an explanation for the discrepancy. It makes sense with what I've experienced.
Turn it into puree and find a pumpkin puree sourdough recipe.
Here's one, for example.
Looks very nice.