SQUASH SOUP IN HOME-MADE ITALIAN BREAD BOWL RECIPE

For the Soup :

Ingredients :

1/4 squash

1 small tetra pack Nestle all purpose cream

10 pcs bacon

garlic, onion

chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

spring onion or parsley  for garnishing

Method :

1.  Peel, chop in to cubes and boil squash  till tender. Set aside. Put in a blender and puree. Strain squash.

2. In a pan render bacon shreds till brown and crispy. Saute garlic and onion in bacon fat/shredded bacon till onions are transluscent.

3. Add a little water when dry. Then add a pat of butter...melt. Add 1/4 cup flour. Whisk. If mixture becomes dry, add water or chickn broth. Mixture should be creamy.

4. Add pureed squash. If  mixture is a little dry, add broth or all purpose cream.

5. Season to taste. Strain before serving to make sure smooth and creamy  consistency of soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and bacon bits on top >3

For the Home-Made Italian Bread Bowl

Ingredients :

300 grams bread flour

200 grams wheat flour

2 tsp yeast

300 ml water or milk

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp yeast

1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

METHOD :
1. Put 300 mlwarm water (115 deg C) in a container. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tsp yeast. Stir then set aside. 15 minutes or until mixture looks foamy.
2. Mix the  bread flour, wheat flour, salt and olive oil together. Set aside.
3. When water-yeast-sugar mixture is foamy, pour over the dry mixture and mix by hand or via KitchenAid with a dough hook for 5 minutes at low speed ( alternate between speed 2 and 4) or until the dough forms a ball.  If dough is too wet, add more bread flour. If it is too dry add water a little at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
4. In a separate bowl with olive oil, put the ball of dough and coat with olive oil. Cover the bowl with the ball of dough inside with a cling wrap or damp towel and put the bowl somewhere warm and dry. I put mine in the oven ( which is turned off) with a bowl of hot water to create a warm and moist environment for the yeast to rise....about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour.

5. After 1 1/2 hour, dough would have risen to double its size. Punch it down and knead it to your desired shape.  Add rosemary and italian seasoning and knead a bit before molding into desired shape. I mold mine into a medium size ball and  place it in a cookie sheet covered with non-stick parchment paper. I usually make  2 slashes on top of the ball to prepare it for its second rising.  1hour
6.  Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
7.  Before baking, brush the dough with water and spray the oven with water to create steam. Bread will have crunchy exterior while being soft and chewy inside. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Check the temperature of the bread inside with an oven thermometer. Bread is done when temperature inside the bread is   180-200 deg F.
Note :
1. You can shape the bread into baguettes too
2. Stale bread can be converted to crostini -- great with spinach artichoke dip


Thanks to Chef Jackie of Heny Sison Culinary school for my home-made bread recipe. Squash-potato soup is my own recipe <3