EASY ZUCCHINI BREAD

Even though I didn't grow any zucchini this year in my garden, it hasn't kept me from just buying it at the grocery store.  (My friend Kay did give me a couple of large zucchini that her garden produced.) It is very disappointing for me when friends were so successful but I couldn't be.  It was so stressful last year when the blooms kept falling off that my friend Janice told me I couldn't grow any this year.  For all practical purposes I didn't have a garden this year. We had a mild winter until the middle of February and then had two 20 + inch snow storms within two weeks.  Our spring was wet and not too warm.  Last year I planted my tomatoes in March.  This year it was still too cool the first of May.  Needless to say by the time I finally got two tomato plants in the ground it was already June.  They produced about two handfuls of cherry tomatoes and that was it.

Anyway I am always checking out recipes using zucchini so I am glad that I can still buy it at the grocery store.  The recipe was inspired from a recipe called Uncomplicated Zucchini Bread at Yes, I Want Cake.  I did make several changes so I changed the name of mind.  I used the yogurt instead of the applesauce.  I used plain, but I would recommend using vanilla to give it a little more flavor.  I used stevia in place of the sugar.  Stevia isn't as sweet as Splenda as you may know.  So it wasn't sweet at all.....which is just the way my husband likes it.  But I would recommend if you use stevia to increase the amount to 1 cup.  I also substituted one cup of whole wheat pastry flour for one cup of the soft wheat flour.  If you aren't familiar with soft wheat flour, it has less gluten.  It is sold in the South with the White Lily label.  I haven't ever had any problems with my baked goods because it has less gluten.  I have read where people added other ingredients, but I don't.  I buy mind from an Amish grocery store in Jamesport, MO.

EASY ZUCCHINI BREAD

3          eggs, beaten
3/4      cup stevia, Splenda, or sugar
1/2      cup oil
1/2      cup non-fat yogurt (vanilla is okay) or applesauce
2-1/2  cup grated zucchini
1         teaspoon vanilla
3         cups flour (2 cups soft wheat flour + 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour is what I used to make it multi-grain)
1         teaspoon salt
1         teaspoon baking soda
1         teaspoon baking powder
1         teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray two mini-loaf pans or one 8 x 4 - inch loaf pan.

Combine the eggs, sugar, oil yogurt, zucchini, and vanilla.








Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a different bowl.  (I sifted these dry ingredients.)

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture

and stir just til combined.

Pour into loaf pan(s).

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes for mini loaves and 60 minutes for single loaf.  Check doneness with a toothpick inserted in center of loaf.  It should come out clean.

Cool in pan(s) on wire rack 10 minutes.

Remove and continue to cool on wire rack.