Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Using Up the Squash: Zucchini Bread



Does your kitchen ever look like this?  I should probably find a better place to keep my laptop.  Having access to so many recipes online is amazing.  It is also very, very dangerous for your computer, iPad, and Smartphone.


Zucchini is not what I normally go for when I decide to make a sweet bread.  I have learned to master the banana bread recipe and it is so good.  Why change up a good thing?  Well, 6 zucchini and 3 summer squash in your fridge is a pretty good reason in my mind.


In the past, zuchinni bread and I have not been good friends. My loaves have come out suken and not attractive.

The key is making sure all of the extra liquid from the zucchini is removed.  You have to squeeze the zucchini once it is done to get out any juices.  Yep, I hate this step but its the key to good zucchini bread.

I changed up the recipe below by cutting out the oil and replacing with applesauce.  The original recipe also calls for white flour. I used 100% whole wheat and you couldn't detect anything different.  This is my new go-to zucchini bread recipe. 

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Food Network, Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Grease an 8 X 4 by 2-inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, applesauce, and sugar. Cream the mixture until smooth. Sift the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Add the egg to the creamed mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the sifted flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time until all is incorporated, and the batter is smooth.

Squeeze and drain the shredded zucchini. Fold zucchini, walnuts, and lemon zest into batter.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown or when skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.


Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the bread, warm, with butter.

18 comments:

  1. Ehehehe.....I am picturing a dough and flour speckled laptop on my counter top. ;)

    Gorgeous zucchini bread! Look at those slices....just beautiful. I've never thought of squeezing out the liquid....definitely trying this next time.

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  2. love it! wish I saw this earlier bc we had so much left over from our garden but i made it all into baby good

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  3. My laptop or itouch are always in tow while cooking in the kitchen. It's a hazard, but soo many good recipes online! Like this one - your bread looks fantastic. What a great way to use up zucchini!

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  4. My computer is also always around various baking ingredients... def. dangerous.... but I look at it as "eco friendly". I am not using paper!

    Love your blog!

    I am new to blogging and trying to reach 25 followers-- check out my site and follow along! :)

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  5. The zucchini bread looks wonderful. Bravo for the triumph!!

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  6. That looks fabulous! and I've got tons of zucchini in my fridge waiting to be used, so I'm making this this weekend! :)

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  7. That looks fabulous! and I've got tons of zucchini in my fridge waiting to be used, so I'm making this this weekend! :)

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  8. My kitchen definitely looks exactly like that! I just discovered EverNote - which let's me keep notes (and recipes) on a server that I can access from my iMac and my laptop simultaneously... Best thing ever.

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  9. I take my pictures with my phone. You should see the gunk and flour that has built up on it. Zucchini bread looks great! Nice and moist!

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  10. Are you kidding? my kitchen always looks like that, except of course when my husband is around - he teases me about killing the laptop!

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  11. Love zucchini bread! Yours looks perfect! And yes, my kitchen often looks like that!

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  12. My kitchen looks like that, too! I was thinking as I read the post, "I wonder how it would be with whole wheat and less fat?" Bravo! Amazing bread

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  13. Haven't tried using zucchini in bread. You just inspired me to! Thanks for sharing this!
    Btw, my kitchen looks like that most of the time!

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  14. wow! i can't wait to have a taste of these all

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  15. LOL @ the laptop on your kitchen counter! :)
    Just love your loaf...it looks so purdy!

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  16. Loving this recipe.

    There is not enough room in my kitchen for a netbook on the counter top. I usually have scribbled notes that would be illegible to most of humanity.

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  17. This bread looks fantastic! And I love that you made it a little healthier with the whole wheat flour and applesauce! And yes, my kitchen looks like that everyday!

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