Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread is one of the first recipes I remember making entirely on my own. For as long as I can remember, my mother has always had a vegetable garden which has produced an abundance of zucchini. While there are many wonderful ways to cook and bake with zucchini, my mother’s zucchini bread is one of my favorites. As a child and teen I made my mother’s recipe for zucchini bread so many times I had it memorized!
This recipe is based off my mother’s recipe. The white whole wheat flour and flax add a bit more protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals than the original all purpose flour without sacrificing in terms of taste and texture. I tried experimenting with reducing the sugar in the recipe, but one of my favorite elements of my mother’s recipe is the crust that forms on the top of the loafs. It has a slight sheen and crisp/crackle kind of texture to it, and I always save that top crust to eat last. Well, as it turns out, that is 100% the result of the sugar in the recipe. If you want to reduce the sugar, you can, and the bread will still taste wonderful (albeit less sweet) but you will loose that characteristic crust. I decided I’d rather keep the sugar 🙂
Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 2 loaf pans (9 1/2" x 5 1/2")
- Electric mixer (hand or stand)
- large bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 5 eggs large, room temperature
- 3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cup zucchini grated and drained
- 3 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup flax-seed meal
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon ground
- 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Grease 2 loaf pans (9 1/2" x 5 1/2") and preheat oven to 350° F.
- Beat eggs well, slowly add sugar and continue beating until mixture is very thick and pale.5 eggs, 3 cup sugar
- With the mixer running, slowing add the oil to form an emulsion.1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Add the zucchini and vanilla; mix well.1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, 3 1/2 cup zucchini
- Blend in dry ingredients, just until they disappear – do not overmix.3 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, 1 cup flax-seed meal, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- Fold in the nuts if desired.1 cup pecans
- Divide batter equally between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.