"Sumptuous Oblivion"

Are you ready? I'M HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!! ( That was fun!) I feel like Wonder Woman... or someone.
Has the hot weather and a few zucchini seeds blossomed into a prolific plant that is growing more zucchini than you know what to do with? Are you known as the "giver of zucchini" by all your friends and family? Do they close the shutters and lock the door when they see you coming? Well, I have a better way to give this vegetable away. YOU DISGUISE IT!

Some times you have to trick people into thinking that they are receiving a gift when dispensing excess veggies from the garden to wary friends. So.... may I introduce the very beautiful and delicious
~Sophie Zucchini Bread~.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com and it is the best that I have found . It's very simple, uses three whole cups of shredded Zucchini and is absolutely wonderful. As Laura Stotko says, who submitted this recipe to All Recipes, (The bread is...) "Extra dense with zucchini, this loaf has the classic combination of cinnamon and nuts to tempt you into a sumptuous oblivion." I agree.

Let's get started....

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour              
2cups white sugar

1teaspoon salt                             

1teaspoon baking soda                  

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon         

1/4 teaspoon baking powder          

3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I ran out of walnuts and used some pecans instead.                                           

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C.)

2. Sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder.

3. Beat eggs. Add and mix well: sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add shredded zucchini to egg mixture. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in nuts if desired.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.( I use Pam non-stick spray that is called BAKING. It has wheat flour in the oil. Nothing sticks and I don't have to grease and flour the pans.)

4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan, on rack, for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan and completely cool.

I had two different pans and they cooked differently. The black one on the left cooked faster and at 50 mins was overdone. I may not have had as much batter in it.  The pan on the right was done perfectly at 50 mins. When I bake this bread again I will set the time for 40 minutes and check both of them. It would probably be better to have exactly the same pans and try to distribute the batter as evenly as possible. Know your oven. Some ovens cook differently and some pans heat differently. 

 

This bread was so delicious. When Sis came last weekend we finished off almost all of it. It's even better the day after you bake it and thick slices toasted with butter spread over it is almost a religious experience. Wrap one of these babies up in some foil or plastic wrap, tie it with a lovely ribbon and take it to your neighbors. You may have to call it something besides Zucchini bread until they taste it. Maybe "Sumptuous Oblivion" or "Bodacious Bread". Make up something that really tickles your tastebuds. Remember that you're making zucchini irresistible. It's a righteous pursuit. Then, when they come over to your house for the recipe you can tell them they need ZUCCHINI to make the bread. That's good for at least 3 medium sized zuks. The neighborhood attitude will change and you can start a Zucchini Stand in front of your home.

Try the bread. You'll love it. Make lots of it and freeze it for next winter.

Next time we will use more grated Zucchini in a Cornbread Casserole. I'm on a mission here.... This vegetable will not be composted.