From Kim Davis:
I'm on a zucchini kick this summer (despite not even having a garden providing a prolific amount of the squash). One of my favorite ways to use zucchini is by using it in a quick bread. I've tried numerous recipes but when I found (and made) this recipe based on one in Cook's Illustrated magazine, I knew I'd never search for another. For one thing, it uses 1-1/2 POUNDS of zucchini and very little vegetable oil. I figure it's a good way to eat some veggies for breakfast or snack. Plus, my youngest granddaughter is a huge fan of this zucchini bread and requested it often over the years. Now that she's in college, I make sure I bake and package up loaves for her to keep in her freezer for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
Zucchini Walnut Bread
The secret to making this zucchini bread moist without all the oil is to squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible. Don’t skip that step, otherwise you’ll end up with a gummy mess.
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds zucchini, shredded (4 – 4-1/2 cups PACKED shredded)
1-1/4 cups (8.75 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2.7 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon coarse sparkling sugar (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Toss shredded zucchini with 1/2
teaspoon salt and set aside for at least 10 minutes while you gather remaining
ingredients.
Once zucchini has rested, place
shreds in the middle of a clean kitchen towel. Gather the ends together and
tightly twist to extract as much liquid as possible. You want to extract at
least a minimum of 1/2 cup liquid from the zucchini. The more you extract from the shreds, the better. Discard the liquid.
Whisk brown sugar, eggs, oil, and
vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the zucchini to the sugar
mixture.
Whisk the both flours, cinnamon,
cloves, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt
together in a large bowl.
Gently stir the zucchini mixture
into the flour mixture.
Mix until thoroughly incorporated
but be careful to not overmix.
Stir in the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the greased
pan and sprinkle with the coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until a
wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached.
Just make sure the crumbs are moist but not gooey or wet.
Remove bread from the oven and
allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes.
Remove bread from the pan and
cool completely before slicing…if you can wait that long!
Notes:
Shredding the
zucchini with a food processor shred attachment makes quick work of the squash.
Otherwise, use the large holes on a box grater.
My granddaughter has tried turning this recipe into muffins, with no success (so far). The shortened baking time required for muffins, didn't allow the zucchini to fully cook, resulting in a gummy muffin. Therefore, I highly recommend keeping this recipe as a bread and not trying to convert it.
READERS: Do you have a favorite quick bread recipe you use time and time again?
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About the Author:
Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery
series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. She has
also written several children’s nature articles published in a variety of
magazines. For ten years she’s written the Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of
Murder culinary cozy mystery blog, in which she features reviews of cozy
mysteries along with a recipe from the book, and photos of the prepared dish.
And now she’s a member of Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen!
Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers
of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
She lives in Southern California with her husband and
rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for
several plotlines. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters or
chasing Missy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, working
on blogs, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.
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