Ingredients

makes one 9-inch loaf

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan, room temperature

　　1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

　　1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

　　1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup packed light-brown sugar

　　2 large eggs

　　1 cup Roasted Squash Puree made with buttercup squash (recipe follows)

　　1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

　　

Roasted Squash Puree

3 pounds squash, such as butternut, orange Hokkaido, or buttercup, halved and seeded

　　Canola oil, for baking sheet

　　(makes about 2 1/4 cups)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf pan, and set aside. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; set aside.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, squash puree, melted butter, and 1/4 cup water. Fold the squash mixture into the flour mixture. Stir in the pecans.

　　

Step 3

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.

　　

Roasted Squash Puree

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the squash halves, skin side up, on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fork-tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven. Turn over; let stand until cool enough to handle.

　　

Step 5

Scoop the flesh into a food processor, and discard the skin. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate squash puree in an airtight container up to 4 days or store in the freezer up to 1 month.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.