Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is one of the best parts summer and it's so easy to make. And you could also make it into zucchini muffins, which are just as yummy and really good for potlucks. :D

This zucchini bread recipe is simple - prep will take about fifteen minutes while the oven is preheating, and then you'll be eating zucchini bread or muffins or BOTH in an hour or less.

This zucchini bread recipe originally comes from smitten kitchen (because seriously, that lady can do no wrong) but I have modified it slightly through some trial and error to suit my tastes a little more. 

wet ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded zucchini - don't drain it! Use the large side of a box grater to grate it.
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

you can combine all of this but the zucchini!

dry ingredients:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional - but if you're gonna use them, I recommend chopped up walnuts, they are the best in zucchini bread!)

combine all the dry ingredients together in the biggest bowl you have!

You'll also need a muffin tin or a loaf pan. I'm using a 9x5 inch loaf pan and a standard size muffin tin.

And make sure to preheat your oven to 350 F with a rack in the center of the oven. :D

Take a fork and mix together the dry ingredients until everything is well combined.

Then use the same fork to break the egg yolks and mix together the wet ingredients. (Minus the zucchini for now!) Mix it well - you'll want it to be creamy and light yellow with no patches of bright yellow. It might take a couple minutes. :)

And mix it all together really well. Mix pretty hard too - it'll help to keep you from getting zucchini clumps. :D

Dump the zucchini mixture into the larger bowl containing all your dry ingredients. :)

Using a spatula or a large spoon, mix and fold the ingredients together until you can see absolutely no dry patches. This will take a couple minutes, and might seem like it's not going to happen at first, but I promise it will. Resist the temptation to add extra liquid!

So here's the deal: you can do either muffins or bread! If you're wanting to do muffins, you can get around 24 muffins out of the batter. Or you can make two loaves. Or a loaf and 12 muffins. :D

Whatever you choose to do, grease the pans. I'm using a canola spray because it's what I had on hand. :)

Fill the muffin cups up a little over halfway, or divide the batter between two loaf pans.

Make sure you're baking on a rack in the middle of the oven. You can put both pans in at once.

Muffins will take less time to cook - I normally do around 22 minutes. Check them around then - insert a toothpick into a couple of the muffins, and if it comes out clean you are good to go. :D

Bread will take a bit longer - I normally check it around 50 minutes, but you might need to bake it for 60 minutes.

Let them cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool a bit more.

Make sure to sure your zucchini bread/muffins with people you like.

And try to eat some while it's still warm with butter (okay, full disclosure I'm using canoleo, but psh) on it! That's pretty much one of the most wonderful things in the world.

Enjoy your zucchini bread!