super moist zucchini bread

i was in the fifth grade when my mother's friend sent her home with a crinkly brown bag overflowing with zucchini from her garden.  that evening she fried some up to go with our mashed potatoes and i decided right then and there that i was not born to be a zucchini lover.  i swore the stuff off on account of the smell and the texture.  so you can imagine my protesting when she asked me to pull out the recipe book and search the index for zucchini bread.  blah!  i thought she must be mad. but to my very pleasant surprise, once the heap of grated zucchini was mixed up into the cinnamon laced dough, something amazing happened.  it smelled and tasted amazing to me.  i fell in love.  it also buoyed up my belief in the fact that sugar and cinnamon could save just about anything.

i think that bag of zucchini must have yielded at least ten loaves of that heavenly bread over the next few weeks.  not only did it satisfy the bellies of her seven children and one husband, but also the bellies of friends and neighbors and surely strangers alike.  i can't recall a time in my childhood when any baked goods were actually made for the sole purpose of feeding just our family.  there was always something set aside for someone.  i can't tell you the number of times we made a "home run" batch of cookies {that's what we called it when we would quadruple the recipe} so that we would have enough to share.  so naturally when i bake, i feel inclined to do the same.  that is half the joy of baking is it not?  it's a tradition that i try to follow and i hope that it's something that carries on with my own children.

and now, after making it through my introductory story, here is a fantastic recipe for yummy and moist zucchini bread that i found on all recipes.  really the only change that i made was cutting back the sugar a bit.  this recipe will yield two loaves, so think about doubling it and sharing some home baked goodness with someone else!

enjoy!

super moist zucchini bread

3 C. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 T. ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 C. vegetable oil
2 C. white sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
2 C. grated zucchini

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease two large bread pans.  

2. in a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

3. in a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.  slowly add in the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed.  last you'll add the zucchini and mix until evenly distributed through batter.  the consistency should change noticeably at this point.  get a spatula and split the batter between your two prepared pans.

4. bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center.  let cool on rack and then remove from pan.

leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for weeks and extra loaves can even be stored in the freezer.  just make sure they are well wrapped.

happy baking!

xoxo. ash