Zucchini Bread Simple & delicious

Zucchini Bread

This recipe for basic zucchini bread is my tried and true.  It works every time.  It's delicious. It has less sugar than it used to and I don't miss it. It's got more zucchini than most recipes.  It freezes well.  It's sturdy and is even more delicious topped with tarragon chicken salad served as a light lunch or as an hors d'oeuvre. 

If my zucchini bread ever needed a profile for a dating site.. there you have it. It's all good.. you should make it yours. 

Jojo's Zucchini Bread

Dry Ingredients:

3¼ cups ap flour (whole wheat white is what we prefer)

1½ teaspoons salt (I use Kosher)

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1½ cups of sugar

Wet Ingredients: 

1 cup of Olive Oil (or Coconut oil .. but be sure to warm it to liquid state)

4 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup of water

3 cups of zucchini, grated on a box grater

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon lemon juice (juice after zesting!) 

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat Oven to 350º

Butter or spray (2) 9x5" loaf pans or (5) mini loaf pans. Sprinkle buttered pans with sugar, emptying out excess. (Sugar is optional.. I like it because it gives a crunch to the crust.)

Whisk together all dry ingredients (except nuts if adding) in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together wet ingredients, then fold into the dry.  Add nuts or add ins*

Bake 1 hour or until done.  (Tester comes out clean, no wet batter) 

*Add ins.... 

Besides walnuts ... You can also try pecans, pistachios, raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, dried coconut flakes, chopped dried apricots or figs, chopped crystallized ginger or some combination thereof. To start, keep the add-ins to a cup or less. 

Note.. Often this bread takes me 10-15 minutes more baking time.  This is depending on oven, pans, etc...  Always test the center.