Zucchini Bread {Recipe}

Yesterday I shared on Facebook that my kitchen smelled heavenly due to the zucchini bread that was baking in my oven. My friend Mariana asked if I could share the recipe and since Mariana is one of the very best online friends a girl could ask for, you’re darn right I can share the recipe!

Earlier in the week we got two fairly large zucchinis in our CSA box and I’ll be honest, it’s not a favorite vegetable of everyone in my family, not even me. I like it grilled or maybe sauteed with a little olive oil, but I’m the only one so some of it was bound to be wasted. I decided zucchini bread might be a better idea. Nick gave me a funny face when I mentioned I might make zucchini bread because how can a vegetable possibly taste good in a bread, right? I’ll tell you how. Sugar. Unfortunately, there’s a fair amount of sugar in zucchini bread, at least in my recipe, which is what makes it taste so darn good, especially if you’re a kid.

The recipe I use comes from one of my very favorite cookbooks, Disney’s Family Cookbook. I’ve had it for years and years and many of the pages are smudged with bits of recipe ingredients as they lay loose from a falling apart binding. That’s the true sign of a treasured and frequently used cookbook for sure. Okay, now for the yummy recipe!

Here’s what you need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups sugar (I only had about 1  and a 1/2 cups on hand and it was plenty sweet for me and for the kids)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
• 3 cups grated zucchini (if you have a food processor with a grater attachment, it makes this super easy)
• peel of 1 washed orange, minced
• splash of orange juice for added flavor(optional)

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Butter two 8 1/2- inch loaf pans and dust with flour
3. Mix the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs, then blend in the oil and orange juice(if desired).
5. Use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in several additions.
6. Fold in the zucchini and the orange peel.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 50 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.
8. Allow them to cool in pans for about 10 minutes then completely cool on racks.

Okay, personally I don’t allow them to cool for too long because zucchini bread is best enjoyed while warm with a pat of butter and I know my family agrees with me on that fact. And for the record, everyone gobbled up their first piece and maybe a couple since.