Zucchini Breads

With all the crazy talk about zucchini around here, I thought I'd share two zucchini bread recipes with you. Joyce Ashton, my mom's neighbor, compiled a bunch of zucchini recipes for her ward (a ward is an individual church congregation, in Mormon-speak) several years ago. These two recipes are from that compilation, modified to fit my own tastes. Thanks Joyce!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, or whatever you like (optional), toasted

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 °F.

Beat together the eggs, oil, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the flour, soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the egg mixture, zucchini, and nuts to the flour mixtures and gently mix the whole thing until well blended.

Spray two 9-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans, and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake on the center rack for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted, and come out clean.

Place the bread pans on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes, in the pans. Remove the bread loaves, and transfer to the cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

This bread can be kept in a freezer, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil, for up to six months.

Zucchini Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

2 bananas,quartered and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 cups all purpose flour (alternately you could use 1 1/2 cups all purpose, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, or whatever you like (optional), toasted

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl along with the oil, and vanilla. Add in the sugar and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the zucchini and bananas until well blended. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Mix in the egg mixture, and then fold in the raisins and nuts.

Spray two 9-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans, and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted, and come back out clean.

Place the bread pans on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes, in the pans. Remove the bread loaves, and transfer to the cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

This bread can be kept in a freezer, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil, for up to six months.