Zucchini Bread

  • Zucchini Bread

    If you’re a fan of zucchini bread, then you’ll be a fan of this recipe.  If you don’t think you’re a fan of zucchini bread, then you need to make this recipe and become a convert.  Immediately.

    I know it’s seemingly inconceivable to use a green vegetable to any degree of success in a sweet bread, but it’s not a lot unlike the use of carrots in carrot cake.  We all know that you can’t taste the carrot in the Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, so go to town on this recipe and enjoy.  (If you want to make it “healthier”, then use whole wheat pastry flour.  If you want to make it “dessertier”- my kind of reader- then add cream cheese frosting to it and eat it like carrot cake’s green [with envy] cousin.)

    Adapted from the version at Allrecipes… this recipe is dairy free.

    3 cups all-purpose flour

    3 tablespoon ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh, if possible)

    3 eggs

    1 cup vegetable oil (canola works well)

    1 1/4 cups sugar

    1 cup light brown sugar (packed)

    1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    2 cups grated zucchini

    1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

    1. Preheat oven to 325°, and grease two 8 x 4 ” loaf pans.
    2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, soda, and nutmeg together.  Set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, both sugars and vanilla together.  Add dry sifted ingredients to the wet mixture, and beat well.  Stir in zucchini and nuts (if using) until well combined.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
    4. Bake for about 50 minutes (checking after 40), or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean of crumbs.  Cool in loaf pans on a rack for about 15 minutes, then remove bread from pans to finish cooling.

    Tips:

    • Like things spicier?  You could always add 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, maybe 1 teaspoon of dried ginger, or maybe some allspice.
    • Feeling creative?  Make this more like a carrot cake… add in 1/2 cup of coconut, 1/2 cup well-drained pineapple, and maybe 1/2 cup of raisins.  Don’t forget the frosting, that’s all I can say.
    • Toast the  nuts first if you remember to… put them on a pan while the oven is preheating, and after about 8 minutes you should be able to smell them (or longer if your oven is warming up from cold).  You want lightly toasted and fragrant, not charred.
    • Muffin modification:  Just bake for about 20 minutes, then check to make sure they’re done.
    • Freeze-friendly? You bet.  Wrap well and store in slices (so you can pull some out in individual servings when you want some.)  Try slightly warm with butter on top.  Oh yes.

     

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    September 30th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | 3 Comments | Tags:

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