Recipe of the week:
Zucchini Bread
Chocolate or Not--Your Choice!
There are so many different zucchini bread recipes, which is a good thing since we have so much zucchini. Here are two tried and true recipes. The first is chocolate (!) and from the Boston Globe. The second is an old family recipe.
Zucchini Chocolate Bread (Boston Globe 8/14/02)
makes 2 loaves
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease 2 9x5" loaf pans
3. In a bowl combine the sugar, eggs and oil. Beat until well blended. Stir in the zucchini and vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture. Stir just until blended.
5. Stir in the chips and nuts and divide the batter between the pans.
6. Bake the loaves for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Turn them out on wire racks and set them right side up to cool.
Traditional Zucchini Bread (makes 1 loaf)
2 ⅓ cups flour (two and one third)
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeeze out some of the moisture (yellow squash works well too!)
1 cup milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg
Chocolate chips, walnuts (optional--a hearty handful each)
1. Preheat oven to 350; spray loaf pan.
2. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (to zucchini) in a large bowl. Make a well in center.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and/or walnuts, if desired.
4. Spoon batter into loaf pan.
5. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan and then remove.
