Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread….
It is a basic.  A summer staple.  Late summer.  That time period that we are inching closer and closer to with the dawn of August upon us.  Zucchini will be overwhelming our gardens and CSA bags for weeks to come.  We will be gifting zucchini in the coming weeks to neighbors, coworkers, strangers walking/running/biking down the street, bank tellers, post(wo)men, etc…

Tip for next year – harvest the blossoms – dredge them in flour, egg/milk, flour and fry them until crispy.  Salt.  Eat.  (and if you are 7 – maybe some ketchup because ketchup is awesome at 7 … and 32).  But that is the plan for next year.  We still have this year’s crop to deal with and I am jumping on the bread bandwagon with both feet.  ( I am short, so I am probably hoisting myself up – think tricep dip and a hop – onto that bandwagon and then swinging my feet up and across and some how standing up/somersaulting over … with or without grace,  I am getting on that wagon.  It’s a good wagon.)

This is my standard zucchini bread recipe.  It’s a two bowl and a wooden spoon kind of deal with the only annoyance being shredding of the zucchini and waiting for all ingredients to get to room temperature.  Patience and a bit of thinking ahead will erase these annoyances that I come across oh so regularly.

Just a few tidbits on the ingredient list – no sour cream?  Yogurt – greek or otherwise,  works just as well and I would imagine buttermilk would too, although I have not tested this assumption out.  There will be a day where I won’t have sour cream or yogurt and buttermilk will be used.  I will update you then.  You can swap granulated white sugar for the brown or use a combination.  I have done it, it works.  Browning butter rather than using vegetable oil and suddenly this bread is no longer a quick throw together bread and when no one even comments on the caramel/nutty  undertones that the said browned butter adds to each slice you will wonder why you stood over a hot stove browning butter in August.  Soooo not worth it but feel free.  I am dying to try candied walnuts because the extra cinnamon-y crunch and sweetness makes my mouth water.  I also want to eat handfuls of candied walnuts.  Roasted slivered almonds or pecans would be worthy of this bread, or this bread would be worthy of them.  Or if you think nuts ruin baked good (ahem, Chris) – go nutless.  I am going to recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because I don’t know where chocolate chips aren’t welcomed but again you can opt out.  Weirdos.