Zucchini Bread
When the summer season is coming to an end, the first thing I want to do is make pumpkin bread. Yes, I am one of those people. As soon as Pumpkin Spice was released at Starbucks this year, I ran to the store to buy canned pumpkin to get my baking mode on. Much to my dismay, the local grocery store had not yet stocked it. “Of course!” I thought, that makes sense, since pumpkin season keeps getting moved up earlier and earlier. I was jumping way too far ahead. It’s not time for that yet. But you know what it is time for? Tomatoes, peaches, and zucchinis.
So, I went through my grandma’s old recipes and found a recipe for zucchini bread. Side note: the recipe was written on the back of a house inspection report from 1977 which made me laugh, but hey use what you have on hand, right?!
In my opinion, zucchini bread is so underrated. Maybe it’s because zucchini doesn’t hold the fame and glamor of pumpkin. But, it makes sense during this time of the year, the beginning of harvest season when there are zucchinis galore at the farmer’s markets. Pumpkins will have their day in the sun, but today it’s all about zucchini.
First, I prepped the zucchini by peeling them and scraping out all of the seeds with a spoon. Then, I beat the eggs until they were foamy and added sugar and oil to that, per grandma’s instructions.
Next, I grated up the zucchini, making sure to remove any big chunks. Then I plopped all that goodness in a towel and twisted it until it was tight, draining out some of the excess liquid.
I didn’t completely drain the zucchini until it was bone dry, though. Some moisture is okay!
I mixed the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, and combined until a batter formed.
In these pictures, I did add the zucchini to the wet ingredients initially, but I would recommend adding the zucchini to the batter at the end.
Put the batter in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper, or in a greased loaf pan. Put in the oven and wait. 90 minutes is a long time, but be patient, you will not be disappointed.
In the meantime, you can whip up some maple butter to spread over the top. This recipe here is just 2 sticks of butter and ¼ cup maple syrup. Whip until combined, then roll up in parchment paper in the shape of a log, and place in the fridge to harden.
When the bread is done baking and a knife poked into the center comes out clean, let it cool on the counter. Once cooled, carefully remove the load from the pan, cut into slices, put a dollop of maple butter on top, and behold the beauty!
It is so delicious. Match zucchini with cinnamon, sugar, and a touch of salt and something magical happens.
Zucchini Bread with Maple Butter
Ingredients
Zucchini Bread
- 2 cups zucchini, grated and drained
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable or canola oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoorn salt
Maple Butter
- 2 sticks salted butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Peel zucchini. Slice in half, and then de-seed using a spoon. Grate zucchini. Place grated zucchini in towel, and then twist towel to drain excess liquid from the zucchini.
- In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients including the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs until they're foaming. Add sugar and oil, and then beat slightly.
- Combine the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well to form a batter. Finally, add zucchini to the batter and fold to combine.
- Line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, spray a loaf pan with baking spray. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly.
- Bake at 350°F for 90 minutes. Check after one hour. Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool before removing from loaf pan.
- To make the maple butter, whisk salted butter with maple syrup until combined. Scoop onto parchment paper then roll up into a log shape. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until it hardens.
- Spread maple butter over a slice of warm zucchini bread and enjoy!