Apparently I have become obsessed with zucchini this year. We have eaten tons of tomatoes, peaches, corn, and all manner of other wonderful summer produce, but this is the third time that I am writing about zucchini this summer. (In case you have blocked out the others, do Zucchini and Brown Butter Spaghetti and Grilled Zucchini Summer Sandwiches ring a bell?) Evidently I'm in a zucchini state of mind.
For those of you who don't like zucchini or are just plain sick of it, my apologies. Then again, maybe you are the audience that most needs this recipe. Because zucchini bread isn't really about a love of zucchini, is it? It's more about disguising something that you have had enough of in a way that it is still appealing. And it is about making the most of those gigantic steroid squashes that are so bountiful this time of year.
When I was plotting my strategy for using up our stash of zucchini this summer, I knew that I wanted to modify my standard zucchini bread recipe to jazz it up a bit. I love the cinnamon flavor profile of my traditional recipe, but I have eaten so many of those loaves and muffins over the year that I wanted something new. New and different, but not too new and different. I am, after all, cooking for clientele under five feet (but not for long!) that doesn't always like change. So there I was again, walking the tightrope between pushing the flavor in a new direction and bringing the kids along for the ride. I thought about adding lemon, but as I reached for the lemon in the fruit bin in my refrigerator, I saw something even better lying next to it. Ginger!
I added fresh ginger as well as candied ginger and powdered ginger. The result is a zucchini bread studded with flecks of golden ginger and enhanced with its sweet-spicy flavor. I loved it, and for the most part, the children did too. Chloe wrinkled her nose, but she ate most of it, and even a few cousins gave it a thumbs up. I still have one more giant zucchini in the refrigerator and a stash of muffins and bread in the freezer. Bountiful harvest!
Second Helping: Zuccanoes (yes, more zucchini!)
As noted, because I made this version for a broad audience, I didn't go too crazy with the ginger, and it is very good as written. If I were making it for myself, though, I would add another half teaspoon of fresh ginger and an additional quarter cup of candied ginger. Just because I could.
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups raw, grated zucchini
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup candied ginger, minced
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a standard loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin (or use cupcake liners for easier clean up and prettier muffins).
In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are fluffy. Add the sugar, canola oil, and vanilla, and mix until they are thoroughly combined. Add the zucchini and fresh ginger and mix again.
Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and mix until the ingredients are just combined and there are no spots of dry flour. Add the candied ginger and walnuts, if you are using them, and mix briefly.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan or muffin tin (fill each cup no more than two-thirds full so that they will rise nicely). Bake the bread for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or the muffins for 30 to 35 minutes. In either case, they are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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