Zucchini Bread

Makes: 1 loaf

Time: About 1¼ hours, largely unattended

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Vegetables are the unsung heroes of the quick bread world; they bring subtle flavor and keep breads moist. This zucchini bread is made with olive oil and is only lightly sweet, which makes it a great bread to top with butter and a drizzle of honey for breakfast. Try combining two different vegetables in one loaf to add depth of flavor (see “Adding Grated Vegetables to Quick Breads,” page 584).

• ½ cup olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• ¾ cup fresh orange juice or milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• ½ cup chopped pecans

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with oil.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Beat the oil, zest, juice, and eggs together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to combine. Do not overmix; it’s okay if the batter is not perfectly smooth. Fold in the zucchini and pecans.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost entirely clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then carefully turn it upside down to release the loaf. Serve warm or at room temperature. Or wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature for a couple of days.

Vegan Zucchini Bread Substitute 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water for the eggs; let sit for at least 3 minutes, until the mixture has a gel-like consistency. Use orange juice or substitute the milk with soy or almond milk. V

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Sounds weird; tastes delicious: Replace ½ cup flour with Dutch process cocoa powder. Fold up to 1 cup chopped dark chocolate (about 6 ounces) into the batter.

5 Additions for Zucchini Bread

1. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, added to the wet ingredients
2. Up to 1½ teaspoons mixed ground spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, and/or cloves (cloves are powerful, so go easy on them), added to the dry ingredients
3. Up to ½ cup chopped candied ginger, folded into the finished batter
4. Up to 1 cup chopped toasted nuts, folded into the finished batter
5. Up to ½ cup dried fruit, chopped or sliced as needed, folded into the finished batter