Zucchini Bread

It's that time of year where everyone tries to find yummy ways to use up their produce! I'm hoping next year we'll have a garden with lots of our own produce to use up, but for now we're mostly mooching off of the plenty of our family! My grandpa gave us a huge zucchini and it was the perfect excuse to bake some zucchini bread! And to try this new recipe, which was a big hit with everyone in the house. It was really great because it was simple but not greasy or too dense and i really love the crispier outside crust vs. the soft inside. Just plain yum. We'll be making this again from the zucchini I now have frozen (since I wasn't able to use up that huge zucchini all at once.)

ZUCCHINI BREAD

(recipe found here)

1 pound zucchini (you’ll end up with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of zucchini once it has been shredded and wrung through a towel--or I use my potato ricer--to rid of excess liquid)
2 cups flour (I did half white and half white wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt (not fat-free)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or sour cream or buttermilk
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray (You may want to grease and flour just to be safe).

Chop the ends off the zucchini (just 1/4-inch off each end) and finely shred the zucchini, peel and all. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel, wrap the towel, and wring the ends (like a an old-fashioned candy wrapper) to squeeze out all the excess water. You should have about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of dry zucchini. (I just use my potato ricer to squeeze.) Set the zucchini aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice or sour cream, and butter until combined.

Gently fold the yogurt mixture and zucchini into the flour mixture, using a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown and a think knife or skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out into wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Store well-covered for up to three days.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country

*Makes one loaf. I doubled the recipe and it turned out great!