A food blogger has released a revised zucchini bread recipe after two summers of testing, aiming to address common shortcomings in existing recipes. The recipe calls for two packed cups of grated zucchini, is mixed by hand, and is designed to produce a tall loaf with a crunchy top. The blogger, Deb Perelman, shared the recipe on her site, Smitten Kitchen, along with her complaints about typical zucchini bread recipes.
Perelman's main criticisms include recipes that yield two squat loaves instead of one tall one, and recipes that use too little zucchini. She argues that more zucchini makes a better, more tender cake. She also objects to recipes that instruct bakers to wring out the grated zucchini, calling it an unnecessary step that removes the moisture that makes the bread great. Additionally, she notes that recipes calling for "one zucchini" are unreliable because zucchini can vary widely in size.
The recipe is a one-bowl, fork-mixed cake, which Perelman says fits the homey nature of quick breads. She emphasizes that the best time to eat zucchini bread is one day after baking, and that wrapping it would ruin the crisp top. Instead, she recommends leaving it in the pan, unwrapped, overnight. The recipe yields 8 to 10 servings and takes 1 hour 20 minutes, plus overnight cooling.
Perelman also mentions that she was featured in The New York Times this week discussing meal planning strategies. The recipe includes ingredients such as grated zucchini, eggs, neutral oil, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, all-purpose flour, and raw sugar for topping. Full directions are available on her site.
Editorial Notes