Call me 'picky' but for a long time now, I've been hunting for the one go-to zucchini bread recipe to call my own. This recipe has it all: a generous measure of grated zucchini, bright color from grated carrot, spice-forward from pantry spices. Most of all, this zucchini bread stays moist and fresh for a long time.
Some times? It pays to be picky.
TESTIMONIALS
"This is wonderful! ... I followed the recipe to the letter and it was dead on perfect." ~ Anonymous
“Just so you know,” she warned as we walked into the mall on a summer Saturday, “I’m a really picky shopper.”
‘She’ is Kerrin, the almost-21 chemical engineering student who visited for the weekend a couple of weeks back. ‘She’ is the daughter of my dear friends from way-way back, Gary and Lisa (yes, that would be Lisa of My Own Sweet Thyme). ‘She’ is the confident young woman who somehow remains, in voice and energy, a grown-up version of the girl I last saw, then eight years old and a wild risk-taker at farkle.
No wonder Kerrin is ‘picky’. For work, she wears steel-toed boots and a hard hat, safety requirements at the water treatment plant where she has an internship this summer. For play, she leans toward the feminine and the comfortable.
So I happily joined the other ‘moms’ hanging around outside the dressing rooms at Macy’s, H&M and Forever 21, wondering how such little bits of cloth can cost $15 and $30 and even $60 even while appreciating Kerrin’s well-developed sense of style. If that’s ‘picky’, picky is a good thing.
Me, I’m picky about zucchini bread. I want it slightly rustic, that means a good measure of whole wheat flour. I want it moist, no miserly portion of grated zucchini here. I want it pretty, with grated carrot for whimsical color; and slightly zingy with spices, cinnamon and ginger both. After many trials over some years, I’ve finally settled on my go-to ready-for-sharing recipe for zucchini bread, this is it. I think you just might become picky about your zucchini bread too.
Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Become a Kitchen Parade fan on Facebook! CARROT & ZUCCHINI BREAD
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes 2 loaves, each 12 slices (easily halved to make a single loaf, 1 egg works fine)
- 1/2 cup (116g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (212g) buttermilk
- 3/4 cup (172g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (172g) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs (use 2 eggs for a half recipe)
- 1 tablespoon (yes, tablespoon) vanilla
-
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 254g
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, fluffed to aerate or 142g
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 cups (200g) grated zucchini from 2 medium zucchini
- 1 cup (100g) grated carrot 2 medium carrots
- 1/2 cup candied ginger, optional but recommended (see TIPS)
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 9x5 bread pans with baking spray such as Bakers Joy, my favorite.
In a large bowl, mix the vegetable oil and buttermilk with an electric mixer until well-combined. Add the sugars and mix in until well-combined. One at a time, add the eggs, beating until well-combined. Mix in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture, mixing in until just combined. With a spatula, gently stir in the zucchini, carrot and ginger.
Transfer to the two pans, bake for about 50 – 60 minutes, turning after 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool for 20 minutes, then gently turn over to remove from the pans. Let cool completely, slice and serve.
To store, wrap well and do refrigerate – if any is left after the first day, that is!
DISCLOSURE A complimentary copy of this cookbook was provided by publisher Andrews McMeel but the recommendation is entirely my own. My Disclosure PromiseMore Recipes for Quick Breads
Zucchini Glut?
More Zucchini Recipes
~ Shredded Zucchini with Thyme ~
~ Finnish Summer Soup ~
~ more zucchini recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Tomato & Zucchini Salad ~
~ Homemade Zucchini Relish ~
~ Greek Zucchini Pie ~
~ Summer Vegetable Stew ~
~ Zucchini Pumpkin Bread ~
~ more zucchini recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Recent Favorites from A Veggie Venture
If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, visit A Veggie Venture, my food blog, home to the Alphabet of Vegetables where there's a vegetable in every recipe and vegetables in every course.
Shop Your Pantry First
~ zucchini ~
~ carrots ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
© Copyright 2010 Kitchen Parade
Page Permalink
|
E-Mail This Recipe Join the Conversation!
To read comments from other readers, please scroll down.To leave your own comment, please scroll down to 'Post a Comment'.
Her summer adventures have been inspiring. It's great that you two could get together and enjoy each other's company.
Sounds like a great Zucchini Bread too! Now if we would just get the kind of weather where zucchini actually grows...
David
Lisa ~ Yes, 'your' Kerrin. She is such a lovely young woman, you are deservedly proud of her!
David ~ Thanks! The "oil factor" is actually one of the things I don't like about typical zucchini breads, also the "sugar factor". This one has half the fat as most quick breads and about half the sugar too.
Samantha ~ Oh good, it takes an extra step to weigh everything but I find the weights useful too. Let me know how it bakes up for you!
Anonymous ~ Ding, ding, you get the "first to make it" prize, thanks so much for letting me know that you love it too. You MADE my day, thank you.
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna