I don't usually care for quick breads. I make "real" bread. You know, the kind that takes a starter, a preferment, stretching and folding, steaming up the oven, thumping the bottom to make sure it sounds hollow......
Then someone who happens to be 8 said, "grandma, I tried Zachary's zucchini bread today at camp and it was awesome! Will you make some for me?"
"Yes, sweetheart, of course I will." I'm pretty sure he has no idea that zucchini is a vegetable.
Zucchini Olive Oil Bread
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen who also happens to have numerous recipes on her site for people who are trying to deal with their bountiful zucchini plants.
Equipment
You will need 2 - 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pans. I prefer light colored bread pans.
Something to grate the zucchini. I used a box grater from Microplane. You can also use your food processor.
Two large bowls.
Two whisks and a rubber spatula.
Measuring cups and spoons.
I used a kitchen scale.
Nothing electric needed except your oven!
Ingredients
3 eggs.
1 1/2 cups sugar. You can go all white sugar, or do 1 C white, 1/2 C brown sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 C olive oil
2 C grated zucchini. Approximately 2 medium sized zucchinis. If your child/grandchild is green-phobic, peel it first
13 1/2 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (or 3 C if you don't have a scale)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1 C raisins or chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour both bread pans. I used Bak-klene ZT No-Stick Bakery Spray which I got from Williams-Sonoma (both companies don't know I exist. I just love this stuff). The breads fell right out.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar, vanilla, and the oil and whisk until combined. Dump in the zucchini, and switching to the rubber spatula, combine.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the nuts and the raisins.
Dump the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and combine. Divide the mixture between the two pans. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes. Check every five minutes after 50 minutes. The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the top of the bread. Mine was ready at 55 minutes.
When the bread is ready, remove the pans from the oven and let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Turn the bread out onto the cooling rack and let it cool completely.
If not serving the bread immediately, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Cook's Notes:
When the bread starts baking, the sides rise up before the center. It looks really weird. Don't panic. The center will eventually rise up.
So did he like it? Yes! (although he had a few questions about the "green")
Update:
The first time I made this bread, I used raisins. I recently (July, 2017) made it again with chocolate chips.
The first time I made this bread, I used raisins. I recently (July, 2017) made it again with chocolate chips.
