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zucchini bread

Zucchini Bread

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Zucchini Bread is basically like making a muffin batter. Baking soda reacts with zucchini’s moisture to help the bread rise. Cinnamon gives that cozy flavor. Oil keeps it moist for days. And zucchini – think of it as the secret ingredient that Grandma snuck into a sweet loaf to make it extra tender.

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray. You can also line the bottom with a strip of parchment for easy removal.
  2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (and nutmeg if using). Make sure they’re well combined – you don’t want any little clumps of baking soda.
  3. Mix wet ingredients: In the same bowl (we promised one-bowl, right?), make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Crack in the eggs, pour in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together in the center until the eggs and oil are well mixed and the sugar starts to dissolve. Then start incorporating the dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl, stirring just until combined. (Switch to a spatula if that’s easier as it thickens.)
  4. Add zucchini (and extras): Stir in the grated zucchini. The batter will loosen up now (the zucchini brings a lot of moisture). If you’re adding nuts, chocolate chips, or other mix-ins, fold them in now. Mix just until evenly distributed. Do not overmix – that can make the bread tougher.
  5. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The exact time can vary; start checking at 50 minutes. The loaf should be risen and cracked on top, and a beautiful deep golden-brown. If the top is browning too much before the center is done, loosely tent with foil in the last 10 minutes.
  6. Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges and carefully remove the loaf from the pan. Let it cool most of the way on the rack. (It’s hard to wait, but cooling helps it slice without crumbling.)
  7. Enjoy: Slice the zucchini bread and enjoy! It’s wonderful as-is, or slathered with a bit of butter or cream cheese. This bread often tastes even better the next day once the flavors meld.