Zucchini - Right Where it Belongs

I think everyone makes zucchini bread. When someone mentions they have zucchini, I think everyone else connects the dots right to a loaf pan and zucchini bread. I confess... I'm not a real zucchini bread fan. Never have been. But, over on Tasty Kitchen, I saw a recipe for Zucchini bread that really caught my eye. So... with the final bit of the zucchini given to me by a friend, I tried out this recipe. It's a keeper. I liked it. There are enough other flavors happening to make the bread very tasty indeed.

Orange Pecan Zucchini Bread

4 eggs

2 C shredded zucchini, unpeeled

2/3 C orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)

3/4 C canola oil

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 grated peel of an orange

3/4 C chopped pecans

1 C powdered sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice (yep, freshly squeezed again)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour the bottoms of two loaf pans. (The author of the recipe uses 8" pans, but says you can use 9" ones as well. I did that, however, the loaves ended up not being as tall as I like them, so next time I will use one 9" pan and then use mini-loaf pans for the rest of the batter.)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are a deep lemony yellow. Beat in the sugar and then stir in shredded zucchini, orange juice and the oil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture and combine together. Fold in chopped pecans.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Cut cooking time by one-fourth if using mini loaf pans.) Remove from oven and cool slightly. Mix together the powdered sugar and remaining orange juice to make a glaze. Remove loaves from pans and place on wire rack (with wax paper underneath the rack). Spread the glaze over the baked loaves while still warm. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Loafing Around... on a Smaller Scale

Aren't these loaf pans adorable? My mother gave them to me. She had seven or eight of them with different designs and she let me take three of them home with me after my last visit. I just think they are so cute. They're the perfect size for mini-loaves of my favorite quick-breads. As luck would have it, I had some overripe bananas, so I made up a Banana Nut Bread batter and broke in my new mini-loaf pans.

Banana Nut Bread
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 C canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 C sour cream (can use plain yogurt)
1/4 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan lightly with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Combine the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat with electric mixer on medium speed until combined (about 2 minutes). Add bananas and sour cream and mix together by hand just until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in walnuts if you're going to use them.

Turn batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar over the top of the batter. Place in the center of the oven and bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top of the loaf should be a golden brown color and the sides of the bread should be pulling away from the pan.

When done baking, place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges, invert the pan to release the bread, and cool completely on the rack before serving.

NOTES: 1) If the loaves are browning too much on the top, but still are not done in the center, place a tent of aluminum foil over the top of the bread for the rest of the baking time.

2) If you are using mini-loaf pans, you should decrease the baking time by one-fourth. In other words, for this recipe, plan on baking the mini-loaves for 45 minutes. Begin to check for doneness at about 38-40 minutes.

I just might end up spending the whole week filling these cute things with different batters. Hmmmm..., Chocolate Applesauce Bread, Orange Pecan Loaf, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Zucchini Bread, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, Lavender-infused Lemon Bread. The possibilities are endless. Too bad the calories are, too.