one month birthday and quick breads

Today is my blog’s one month birthday!  Wow, it is true – time flies when you’re having fun!  You may notice that there are some posts prior to August 16th, those were added after the fact so that I could squeeze in important information (including “the basic kitchen” lists) without taking up space from my daily posts. I really love it when you leave comments or ask questions – it lets me know that someone out in cyberspace is reading all this!  Please comment if you haven’t already and do keep it up if you already have – and I’ll do my best to keep posting daily! 🙂

zucchini nut bread

Quick breads can be sweet or savory and are called “quick” because they are not made with yeast and do not require kneading or rising time. The leavening agent in quick bread is generally baking powder and/or baking soda. Eggs also help the batter to “rise up”. Some of my favorite sweet quick breads are those made with vegetables such as carrot, pumpkin and zucchini. I like to add nuts for flavor and crunch but when making these for a group I make a double batch and just before adding the nuts, separate the batter into two bowls, adding the nuts to only one bowl. There are many more people with nut allergies these days; it’s the thoughtful thing to do so that everyone can partake. You can easily change Zucchini Nut Bread to Carrot Nut Bread by substituting 1/2 cup peeled, shredded carrots and 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple for the 1 cup zucchini plus add 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. And for Pumpkin Nut Bread substitute the zucchini with 7 1/2 ounces canned pumpkin and add 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Zucchini Nut Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1  1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large or 2 small)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease one standard 8  1/2 x 4  1/2 x 2  1/2-inch loaf pan, or three 5  3/4 x 3  1/2 x 2  1/2-inch mini loaf pans, or line 12 muffin tin with paper or foil muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in the zucchini and nuts.

Fill the loaf pan(s) or muffin tins 3/4 full and bake the full size loaf for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Alternately, bake the 3 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes, or 12 muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a rack.