THE WORLD’S BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD

Hi!

In yesterdays post I showed you “What To Give The Man Who Has Everything For His Birthday”.

It was a morning-after-the-birthday-party basket of goodies that you can read about here.

Included in my morning-after-basket was The World’s Best Zucchini Bread.

Honestly, I have tried a lot of Zucchini Bread recipes but this is the best by far. It is moist, not too sweet, and full of healthy goodness.

And, best of all, it is a great way to use up all that zucchini growing in the vegetable garden this time of year.

Now here’s the thing, it’s not really my recipe.  I adapted it from one written a long time ago and published in the Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin.  But I decided to make a good thing better by reducing the sugar and oil content.  I also substituted the white flour for whole wheat.  And you know what, it not only tastes better, it is a whole lot healthier.  So let me show you how to make The World’s Best Zucchini Bread.  To get started, assemble the following ingredients:

Then, preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter one 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and one 6″ x 3″ mini loaf pan. If you are smarter than me, you would also line your loaf pan with parchment paper, because there is nothing worse than a loaf of Zucchini Bread that sticks to the pan!

I find that this recipe is too large for just one loaf pan, so I am able to make a large loaf and a mini loaf (one to give away).  Or I often double the recipe which results in 3 large loaves: 1 to eat, 1 to freeze and 1 to give away! By the way, this Zucchini Bread freezes very well and is a great thing to have on hand to enjoy for breakfast or in the afternoon with a cup of tea.

Now, to get started, beat up 3 eggs.

Then add 1 cup of vegetable oil to the eggs…

and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract…

and 1 cup granulated sugar.

Turn on your mixer and give it a good beating…

until it becomes lighter in color and thick in texture.

By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, I am very proud to announce that I have a beautiful new Kitchenaid Mixer!  My loving husband, who also loves this zucchini bread, gave it to me for my birthday.  It makes me very happy because now, when I take blog photos using my standing mixer, you, my beloved followers, can have a much better view of the proceedings!

So, anyway, as I was saying, next you will need 2 cups of grated, unpeeled, raw zucchini.  Depending on the size, I usually use 2 zucchini to produce 2 cups of grated zucchini. Remember to also give it a good washing before you grate up your skin-on zucchini. Use the large-hole side of the grater for this procedure.

Then, add the 2 cups of grated zucchini to the egg mixture…

and, using a spatula, fold the zucchini into the batter.

Now it’s time to prepare the dry ingredients. I am a stickler for sifting the dry ingredients to insure that the salt and spices are thoroughly integrated into the flour.  You can also place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk them to combine. In any case, place 2 cups of whole wheat flour into a sifter or bowl and add 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder…

1 teaspoon salt…

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon…

and 1 teaspoon ground cloves.  It is the ground cinnamon and cloves that give this recipe a really wonderful, spicy flavor.

Sift or whisk the dry ingredients…

and add them to the wet ingredients. Mix on low just long enough to combine, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as you do so.  Do not over mix or it will compromise the quality and texture of your Zucchini Bread.

Now, if you prefer nuts in your Zucchini Bread (I don’t) then I recommend adding 1 cup of chopped pecans to the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.

Place them in the middle rack of your 350° preheated oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean.

NOTE:  Set a kitchen timer! It will take approximately 30 minutes for the small loaf to bake and 40 minutes for the large one to be done.

Do not over-bake or the result will be a dry, less than “World’s Best” Zucchini Bread.  You want your Zucchini Bread to be moist and delicious like this.

Now go make yourself some Zucchini Bread! You can print out the recipe below.

So there you have it: THE WORLD’S BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD!

ENJOY!

THE WORLD'S BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

This moist & delicious bread is great for breakfast or with a cup of afternoon tea. Adapted from a recipe first published in The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin.

Author: Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups unpeeled raw zucchini, grated
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using the butter, generously grease one 9" x 5" large loaf pan, and one 6" x 3" mini loaf pan. Or, use 4 mini loaf pans.
3. Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until it is light in color and thick in texture.
4. Fold the grated zucchini into the egg mixture.
5. Sift or whisk the dry ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated.
6. Add dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix until just blended. Do not over mix.
7. Fold in the chopped pecans if desired.
8. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans, filling them about three quarters of the way full.
9. Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees until a cake tester comes out clean.
10. The mini loaf will bake for approximately 30 minutes, the large one for approximately 40 minutes.
11. Cool slightly on cooling rack before removing from pans.
12. Then cool completely on a cooling rack.
13. Store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

Notes

This bread keeps well (tightly wrapped in plastic) at room temperature for about 3 days. It also freezes very well. Doubling the recipe will make 3 large loaves: 1 to eat, 1 to freeze and 1 to give away.

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