Maybe there’s nothing notable to mention about any zucchini bread recipe, but I don’t think that’s the case with this one. This recipe got us through a very prolific zucchini plant this season, and so I’m very grateful for it (my kids just weren’t into zucchini tempura, zucchini pancakes, slow-cooked zucchini, or any of the other many things I tried). The lemon in this recipes makes it unique, so many thanks to my friend Mark for sharing it! He adapted it from the Food Network, and I think I might have made it somewhere between 5-7 times this year. It’s that amazing, and we have that much zucchini. And the prep time is about 10 minutes. Makes it a winner in my book. 

My Favorite Zucchini Bread

3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (I usually do 1 c. whole wheat, the rest all-purpose)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground nutmeg
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 1/4 c. sugar (I’ve cut this down from the original 3 c.)
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. water
2 c. grated zucchini
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or chocolate chips!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two standard bread pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, then add the zucchini and nuts and fold just until all the ingredients come together. Divide the batter between the two standard bread pans, and bake for one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. (To make mini loaves instead, divide the batter into five mini loaf pans and bake for about 45 minutes.)

Yield: Makes 2 loaves.