It’s zucchini season in California. At least in my backyard. I have been busy making muffins, brownies, bread, and cookies using the harvest from our garden. This is one of the rare times I will share a recipe. Why? Because I don’t have many original recipes. I’m a big fan of Betty Crocker. I love to bake, but I am a picky eater.
I grew up on this recipe. It was my mom’s, and I’ve never found anything better. But, of course, that is my prejudiced opinion. But you be the judge. Unfortunately, my mom has passed away, so I cannot ask her where she got the recipe, but I believe it was passed down from her mother.
Zucchini
My husband planted five zucchini plants in our backyard, and they have yielded six large zucchini so far, with the promise of many more. So I have designated Saturdays as my baking day until further notice.
I’m not particularly fond of zucchini as a vegetable, but I love using zucchini in brownies, cookies, bread, and muffins. I also make an appetizer that I like. It’s the closest thing I’ve made to eating zucchini as a vegetable. Over the years, I have tested a lot of recipes. However, this recipe remains my favorite for zucchini bread. Unlike most zucchini bread recipes, this one contains ground clove and nutmeg.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of oil – I use canola or vegetable
- 2 cups of grated zucchini (do not drain)
- 3 tsp. of vanilla
- 1 cup of chopped nuts (optional – I use walnuts)
- 2 cups of sugar
- 3 1/2 cups of flour
- 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. of ground clove
- 1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. of salt
- 1 tsp. of baking soda
- 3 tsp. of ground cinnamon
Directions
I start by getting all of my ingredients, bowl, and measuring items on the counter. This recipe does not require a mixer, but I sometimes use a hand mixer. I spray non-stick spray on the loaf pans. I have learned to use the small loaf pans since only my husband, and I eat the bread most of the time. If I make two standard loaf pans, I end up with the bread being dry by the time we finish it. So now I use six mini loaf pans (Chicago Metalic 5 11/16 x 2 1/4 x 2 1/2 – I purchased them at Bed, Bath and Beyond) or one standard (9 x 5) and three mini loaf pans. I cut the large bread in half and freeze one half. Or, as per the recipe, you can use two regular loaf pans.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 50 – 60 minutes if you use 9-inch loaf pans. When I use the mini loaf pans, I check them at 40 minutes. Keep checking every five minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Since I am using larger zucchini, the skin can be tough, so I peel half of it off. If I were using smaller zucchini I would leave all the skin on. I scrub the zucchini with a vegetable brush first. Then I grate the zucchini in my food processor. If I’m grating zucchini, I tend to grate it all and make several recipes on the same day and store the rest of the grated zucchini in a ziploc bag in the freezer for baking when I don’t have fresh zucchini. Combine all the ingredients well. You can add dry ingredients separately if you desire. I tend to go down the list and add them to the bowl. I gather all the ingredients and tools on the counter because I start with them on my left, and once I use them, I put them on my right. It helps me not to forget an ingredient.
Results
I love this bread, and I hope that you do, too. Please comment below when you make it. I’d love to hear what you think about it. Maybe you have a family zucchini bread that you make, that you prefer. I’m willing to try it if you send it. In the meantime, I like the crisp top of my mom’s zucchini bread, the delicious spices of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, plus the distinctive taste of the chopped walnuts. Happy baking.
