An old family recipe: Zucchini bread

This recipe for zucchini bread has been in my family for longer than I’ve been alive. It’s an autumn staple in all of our homes because it’s very versatile. Whether you’re having a cup of tea by yourself or serving it for a family brunch, this recipe is loved by all — and the children won’t know that there is zucchini in the bread.

This recipe freezes well so you can make one for now and freeze one for later. I’m planning on enjoying a piece with a cup of coffee as soon as the Yom Kippur fast ends this year.

The recipe is dairy-free. It’s excellent served plain, but in my family we also shmear on a little cream cheese or butter.

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Ingredients:
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2-3 medium-sized zucchini), loosely packed, skin on
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 F and put the wire rack in the middle of the oven.

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

Sift all of the dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Grate the zucchini. I use an electric mixer because the batter is pretty thick, but you can hand-mix this if you want to prepare it on Yom Tov.

Whisk the eggs until some bubbles form on the top layer, and slowly add the oil, whisking continually until the oil is well combined.

Add the sugar to the egg mixture and, once combined, add the zucchini and vanilla extract.

Mix well before adding the dry ingredients, about ½ cup at a time.

Mix the batter until you can’t see any flour. If you’re mixing by hand, fold in the flour with a strong silicone spatula as opposed to a whisk.

Scrape down the bottom of the bowl to make sure that everything is well combined before pouring the batter into the two prepared loaf pans.

Put the pans into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Metal pans heat up and brown baked goods more quickly than glass or ceramic loaf pans, so if you choose metal pans, check the bread at 50 minutes. When the zucchini bread is fully baked it will start to pull away from the edges of the loaf pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf will come out clean.

Once baked, remove the pans immediately from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before turning each loaf onto a wire rack to cool.

Cool for at least 3 hours before wrapping the loaves in plastic wrap to store.

You can also make muffins with this batter: Use cupcake papers and bake for 25 minutes at 350 F.

If you’re freezing the bread, wrap it in plastic wrap first and then put it into a gallon-size freezer bag.

My mom swears that this bread tastes best if allowed to rest overnight before serving.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.