No Fail Zucchini Bread

One way a lot of people use up their garden zucchini is by making a sweet bread. My children wish I would only use the zucchini for this instead of actually trying to cook it.

Over the years I have tried Pear Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Orange Bread, Zucchini Bread with Sour Cream and others, only to come back to the very first recipe I made with zucchini: "Zucchini Nut Loaf" from my 1981 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (not so new anymore...).

We like the consistency between crunchy crust and tender inside, and I like the fact that it is so simple and requires only one egg and 1/4 oil for each loaf. I've lessened the sugar to 3/4 cup over the years, too, and have not noticed a marked difference. It cooks in the time called for and never is gooey or soggy in the middle.

I ran a search on the BHG website and couldn't find the recipe, so I am going to post it here for anyone wanting to find a consistently good (as in every time) loaf of zucchini bread. I have made only slight changes or additions to the original recipe, which I have noted:

Zucchini Nut Loaf
(I guess this is what they called bread in 1981. We just call it "zucchini bread" now)

• 1 c. sugar (I use only 3/4 c. and usually use 1/2 brown)
• 1 c. shredded zucchini
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/4 tsp. lemon peel (I've left this out if I don't have it)
• 1-1/2 c. flour (I use all whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts (totally optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8"x 4" loaf pan and coat with a teaspoon of sugar; tap out any excess sugar (this is something I added and always do to make the loaf really good).
2. In a mixing bowl beat together the sugar, zucchini, and egg. Add oil and lemon peel; mix well.
3. Add the dry ingredients and stir.
4. Fold in the nuts, if using.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan (at this point I always sprinkle with a little raw sugar for effect and more crunch) and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.

This freezes particularly well. I've had it up to 6 months in the freezer and it still tasted good.

-Jami