One of my favorite things to do is bake!
Before I got married I scorned all things having to do with
cooking, gardening, or anything resembling housework.
Now, I love to cook and I love working in my garden.
Although I don't "love" housework, it is a lot easier to do now
that I have someone to help and appreciate what I do everyday.
It's amazing what a little love and hard work does to help you
appreciate the small but extremely important things
in and around your life!
Zucchini Bread Muffins and Loaf
Zucchinis are a very versatile vegetable.
They are best known for their dark green skin and mild taste.
They are best when picked small, but you can let them get big
and use them to make zucchini bread.
Today I am going to show and explain step by step instructions
on how to make the BEST Zucchini bread you have
EVER tasted!
So buckle up and hang on this is going to be a
HOT experience!
350 degrees to be exact!
Prep Zucchini Step 1
Step 1: Find either a clean dish or bath towel that you can use to grate the zucchini onto.
Zucchini is made up of mostly water and you must wring the zucchini out before you make your bread or you will have watery bread and you do not want that! LOL
Zucchini is made up of mostly water and you must wring the zucchini out before you make your bread or you will have watery bread and you do not want that! LOL
Prep Zucchini Step 2
Step 2: Grate your zucchini, skin and all, using the large side of your grater.
Prep Zucchini Step 3
Step 3: Pile all of your shredded zucchini in to the middle of your towel.
Prep Zucchini Step 4
Step 4: Fold the sides of your towel over so it looks like a Christmas present before you tape it up!
Prep Zucchini Step 5
Step 5: Once your towel is folded twist the ends of your towel until it looks like a really big piece of peppermint candy like you get in the bottom of your bag at Sonic!
Prep Zucchini Step 6
Step 6: Squeeze, Squeeze, Squeeze! Keep squeezing until you feel water start to seep through your towel.
Prep Zucchini Step 7
Step 7: If your towel gets overly wet you might try wrapping a second towel around the first in order to soak up as much moisture as possible.
Prep Zucchini Step 8
Step 8: Transfer your shredded zucchini in to a measuring cup so you know exactly how much you have, in order to decide how many loafs or how many muffins you will be able to make.
Prep Recipe Step 1
Step 1: This step may be the most important step you take. Finding the perfect recipe. In my opinion, once you find a recipe you like, you need to stick with that one and then you can tweak the recipe in order to make it perfect for you. I have used the recipe for Zucchini bread from the Better Homes and Garden cook book for over 5 years and I have found that with a few extra ingredients it is the best recipe I have ever used and so I continue to use it. But it is important that you find the one that works best for you!
Prep Recipe Step 2
Step 2: Find and read the recipe completely. You might think that this is a silly step but I have found that by reading the recipe thru before starting, I remember in what order things should be done, better than if I just wing it.
Prep Recipe Step 3
Step 3: Always start your oven before you start mixing your recipe so that it is hot when you are ready to insert your pan(s).
Prep Recipe Step 4
Step 4: Reading the directions and following them regarding whether or not your pan needs to be sprayed with non stick cooking spray is not a step you want to miss. Especially when baking breads or muffins because you do not want them to stick to the sides of the pan. Any kind of non-stick spray will work but Baker's Joy is probably the best, in my opinion, because it has flour in its spray and that helps the batter not to stick even better. (hey, I made a rhyme, someone should give me a dime! :-) )
Prep Recipe Step 5
Step 5: It is important to have all of your bowls, measuring cups, and measuring spoons ready before you start mixing so that you don't spend your time running around looking for your utensils.
Recipe Step 1
Step 1: When making Zucchini bread you should always make sure you get the correct measurements of flour, baking soda, and baking powder because you do not want it to be too dry or too wet. As you can see in this picture I have all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and then I have a separate small prep bowl with extra spices and baking powder and soda. I have this separate bowl set up because I am going to make two batter mixes and I do not want to have to go back and remeasure everything. So I go ahead and measure two of everything and put the second measurements into one of my small prep bowls for later.
This is the step in which my extra, special ingredients come into play. My secret ingredient is to add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the other spices that the recipe calls for. The pumpkin pie spice gives it that special Thanksgiving smell and taste to it!
This is the step in which my extra, special ingredients come into play. My secret ingredient is to add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the other spices that the recipe calls for. The pumpkin pie spice gives it that special Thanksgiving smell and taste to it!
Recipe Step 1 Continued
Step 1 Continued: I have pre-measured all of the liquid ingredients for my second batter mixture before I move on to the next step in the recipe process.
Recipe Step 2
Step 2: Add all of your liquid ingredients into a larger mixing bowl so that you can add your dry ingredients to it and still have room to stir it all together. When adding the shredded zucchini I always add a half a cup more that the recipe calls for in order to give it more flavor and add more moisture to the loaf or muffins.
Recipe Step 3
Step 3: When mixing your zucchini batter you want to make sure of three things: 1) You do not want to over mix it. It should still be lumpy when it is all mixed together. 2) You do not want it to be too dry or too wet. If it is too dry, add a 1/2 tablespoon of oil at a time until the batter is well mixed and sticky. If it is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the batter is well mixed and sticky. 3) Last but not least you want to make sure the batter sticks together and resembles a large ball of sticky rice.
Recipe Step 4
Step 4: When filling muffin cups with bread mixtures you should always make sure you only fill the cups 1/2 full instead of the 2/3 full like most recipes call for. You also want to make sure you have remembered to spray your muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray before filling them up.
Recipe Step 4 Continued
Step 4 Continued: When filling your loaf pan you want to make sure your batter is evenly distributed in the pan because the batter is sticky and won't move once it is settled in your loaf pan.
Recipe Step 5
Step 5: In order to allow the bread to settle in the loaf or muffin pans, I always gather up my dirty dishes and clean my cooking space before I put the pans in the oven. This gives me time to double check my recipe book to make sure I didn't miss anything and it also gives the bread a chance to rest before it begins the cooking and rising process. My Mom always said "If you don't make a mess while you're cooking, then you aren't doing it right." So I always make sure I dust myself with a little flour or spill a little something on the counter just so I can say I was messy. OK, so that isn't really true I don't actually dust myself or spill a little something on purpose it just happens because I am a messy cook! Oh well, I guess my baking will be extra good because of it right?!
Recipe Step 6
Step 6: When baking bread you always want to bake on the bottom rack that is sitting on at least the second rung from the bottom of your oven. For the last several years I have cooked in an electric oven. I really liked it because it seemed to cook really evenly and I knew how long to expect things to take. My husband and I have recently moved and I am having to learn how to bake in a gas stove. It has been a challenge but I am slowly but surely picking up on its nuances.
Recipe Step 7
Step 7: Timing your bread whether in your muffin cups or loaf pan is an extremely important step. I have found that when making Zucchini bread muffins 30 minutes in a gas oven usually does the trick. I always start checking them, with the door closed, about five minutes before they are done. When the timer goes off I use either a butter knife or a toothpick and insert it into the center of the middle muffin cup to make sure it is done all the way through. Loaves of Zucchini bread can take between 50 and 60 minutes depending on how wet your batter is. Again, I start checking through the window about five minutes before the timer goes off and then check it with a toothpick. If it is still doughy I try to judge how much longer I should leave it in the oven by how sticky the loaf is. Usually, five or ten minutes is needed to finish the cooking process.
Recipe Step 8
Step 8: Allow your muffins or your loaf to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Run a butter knife around the outside of your muffin or loaf pan to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Then you should be able to either pop the muffins out or turn the loaf pan upside down and let the bread fall out onto either a towel or a plate. Let the muffins or loaves cool completely before putting them in foil or plastic.
Recipe Step 9
Step 9: The MOST important step in this process is to eat and enjoy your finished product! I find that a good cup of hot coffee or a tall glass of cold milk and a little butter to go on my muffin or slice of bread makes an excellent breakfast or afternoon snack!
So, go out, find some Zucchini, grab your favorite recipe book and make yourself a loaf today! And if you can not find a really good recipe, leave me a comment and I will send you a copy of mine!
I hope you enjoyed my recipe blog! I would like to ask you if you would be kind enough to leave me a comment or share this with your friends and family. Thank you and enjoy your bread!
So, go out, find some Zucchini, grab your favorite recipe book and make yourself a loaf today! And if you can not find a really good recipe, leave me a comment and I will send you a copy of mine!
I hope you enjoyed my recipe blog! I would like to ask you if you would be kind enough to leave me a comment or share this with your friends and family. Thank you and enjoy your bread!
Zucchini Bread
OK, so I have had several requests for my recipe for Zucchini bread. So here it is! I hope you enjoy and I have included my secret ingredients in this recipe too!
Bake Time: 30-60 minutes depending on your pan.
Oven Temp: 350 degrees.
Dry ingredients to be put in a small, separate bowl.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2-1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (optional, my secret ingredient! Makes it yummy!)
Liquid ingredients to be put in a larger bowl.
1 cup sugar (I know this isn't liquid but you put it in the bowl with the other liquids! LOL)
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini (I put an extra 1/2 cup of zucchini to give it a better taste and texture!)
1/4 cup cooking oil (any type of oil works and you can always use an extra teaspoon if your batter is dry.)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (Optional, I do not usually use this. Sometimes I just put a couple of drops of lemon juice in the batter.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Again, optional. I do not like nuts in my bread so I don't use them but they do give the bread a great flavor if you like them!)
Follow the directions above, in order to make the best zucchini bread you have ever had!
Eat and enjoy!
Bake Time: 30-60 minutes depending on your pan.
Oven Temp: 350 degrees.
Dry ingredients to be put in a small, separate bowl.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2-1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (optional, my secret ingredient! Makes it yummy!)
Liquid ingredients to be put in a larger bowl.
1 cup sugar (I know this isn't liquid but you put it in the bowl with the other liquids! LOL)
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini (I put an extra 1/2 cup of zucchini to give it a better taste and texture!)
1/4 cup cooking oil (any type of oil works and you can always use an extra teaspoon if your batter is dry.)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (Optional, I do not usually use this. Sometimes I just put a couple of drops of lemon juice in the batter.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Again, optional. I do not like nuts in my bread so I don't use them but they do give the bread a great flavor if you like them!)
Follow the directions above, in order to make the best zucchini bread you have ever had!
Eat and enjoy!