Turkish Turban Squash Bread Recipes

TURKISH TURBAN SQUASH BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place turban squash halves cut-side in a baking dish. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until very soft, about 1 hour. Pour out any moisture that accumulated in the cavity of the squash. Let cool until easily handled, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Scoop squash flesh into a large bowl. Mash until smooth. Transfer to gallon-sized freezer bags and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5-inch loaf pans.
• Combine 4 cups mashed squash, eggs, white sugar, dark brown sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and ginger in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a separate bowl. Stir into the squash mixture with a wooden spoon until just blended. Fold dried cranberries into the batter.
• Divide batter between the prepared loaf pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

TURKISH BUTTERNUT SQUASH (KABAK TATLISI)

Steps:

• Peel and cut butternut squash into 1-inch-thick rounds or the size of a hockey puck.
• Mix together in a bowl the sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, lemon zest and salt. Mix with the butternut squash. Cover with plastic wrap placed in the refrigerator overnight.
• Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
• Take the plastic wrap off the squash and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the butternut squash, place the foil back on and cook for another 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let sit on the counter in its juices to get to room temperature. Once at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
• Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form and add half of the tahini to the whipped cream. Reserve the other 2 tablespoons tahini to drizzle on top for garnish. Put the cooked butternut squash on a large platter and ladle over some of the cooking juices. Top with a few large dollops of whipped cream and garnish with drizzled tahini and the crushed pistachio nuts.

TURKISH MEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Stir yeast into 1/4 cup of the water; set aside for 10 minutes.
• Sift flour into a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Add salt and olive oil, and work in with your fingers, then add the yeast mixture and remaining 1/4 cup water. Transfer to a clean work surface, and knead for 5 minutes, or until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• While the dough is resting, combine all the ingredients for the topping in a large bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, and roll each into a ball. Take 1 ball, flatten it with your hands into a 5-inch disk, then pull and stretch into a long oval (the bread will be quite thin). Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets. Using your fingers, make indentations just inside the edges. Spread a quarter of the topping all over. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and topping.
• Bake until lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE TURKISH BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the sponge ingredients, except the flour together and set aside until foamy, about 15 minutes.
• Add the flour and combine well.
• Cover with a tea-towel or loosely with plastic wrap and set aside overnight. Don't cover the sponge tightly because the air inside with become anoxic and the yeast will die.
• The following day, mix the second lot of yeast, water and honey/sugar together until foamy then add the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds or nigella seeds and egg then knead until the dough is smooth and very elastic.
• Add more flour if the dough is too wet. It should be slightly damp but silky smooth. About 20 Minutes.
• Once the dough is the right consistency, ball up and place in an oiled bowl covered with a tea-towel or loosely with plastic wrap for 3+ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough then kneed again for another 10 minutes or so.
• Divide into six pieces and roll out to the desired shape, quite thinly and put on a greased baking tray and put in a warm place for an hour or more until the dough has risen significantly.
• Pre-heat your oven to 250ºC.
• Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle over the sesame or nigella seeds.
• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crush is golden.

SAUSAGE-STUFFED TURBAN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease foil.
• Cut the top off the squash using a serrated knife and scoop out seeds. Lightly salt the inside of squash. Place squash, cut-side down, onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour.
• Cook and stir sausage, celery, mushrooms, and onion in a skillet over medium heat until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes; drain excess grease.
• Combine sour cream, Parmesan cheese, egg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stir sausage mixture into sour cream mixture.
• Scoop the meat from the inside of squash, being careful not to tear the skin. Mash squash meat in a bowl.
• Spoon some of the sausage mixture into the hollowed squash, making a ring. Spoon a ring of mashed squash over sausage mixture. Continue layering until all the sausage mixture and mashed squash are used.
• Bake in the oven until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

STUFFED TURBAN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut the top off the turban squash, as you would for a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin.
• Scoop out seeds and pulp and discard.
• Place turban squash, cut sides down, on an oiled or foil covered baking sheet, and cover with more foil.
• Roast for 50-60 minutes or until tender.
• Scoop out tender pulp from cavity of squash.
• In a saucepan, saute onions, celery, sausage and diced carrot in butter until vegetables are tender.
• Drain any fat.
• Mix in brown sugar, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cooked squash.
• Stir until well-mixed.
• Spoon filling lightly into the cavity of the turban squash, and cover with the top.
• Place extra filling (if any) into a separate dish.
• Bake squash and any extra filling for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
• Serve hot.