Zucchini Bread

I came back from a week away to discover that my garden had produced a zucchini the size of a large squash.

I had no choice.  I had to make zucchini bread.  Or so I tell my Keto-dieting husband.  Really though- an overly large zucchini will not taste great by itself.  The only solution is to bake it into delectable desserts.

My family was never big on zucchini bread growing up and the name always scared me off.  It sounded too healthy and…well…green to be delicious.  However the copious amounts of sugar (this bread is not actually healthy) and cinnamon, make this bread sweet and spicy.  Rather than contributing much to the flavour, the zucchini serves to add moisture, making the end result tender.  Very similar to a carrot cake- which also has a confusing name.

The recipe makes 1 loaf in a standard 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan.  Alternatively you can use a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, but check for doneness at least 5 minutes early. I found a large box hole grater the easiest to shred the zucchini. Make sure to take the time to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini as directed, or you may end up with soggy bread!

Zucchini Bread
America’s Test Kitchen/ Cook’s Illustrated

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, shredded
1 1/4 cups packed (8 3/4 oz) brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 oz) whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional though recommended!)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 325F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2- inch loaf pan.

Place zucchini in the center of a dish towel. Gather the ends together and twist tightly to drain as much liquid as possible, discarding the liquid. Whisk in the brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Fold in the zucchini.

Whisk the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Fold in the zucchini mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared load pan and sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.

Bake until the top bounces back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 65 to 75 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.