ATK’s Zucchini Bread *

americas-test-kitchen-zucchini-bread

This photo is courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen -Cook’s Illustrated.  My bread turned out slightly under-cooked and wasn’t as presentable as I normally like so I’ll just use a stock photo until I can re-make it again.  It’s very delicious bread.  I never knew zucchini could work so well into a dessert type bread!  I cooked it for the full time and even followed the directions for the toothpick coming out with just a few crumbs attached, but it tricked me.  So later, I had to cut it into slices and re-bake on a baking sheet, which helped.  I think the problem was I could only twist and drain so much moisture out of the shredded zucchini.  Next time I will use an orange squeezer to get more moisture out.  My 8 year old loved it – but then again, it is more desserty vs. a hard sell.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. zucchini shredded
  • 1 1/4 cups packed (8 3/4 oz.) brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz.) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (2 3/4 oz.) whole-wheat flour
  • 1 T. ground cinnamon**
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 2/3 cup walnuts (toasted and chopped), optional
  • 1 T. granulated sugar
  • Chocolate chips are a great addition (optional)**

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully! You can make this IC safe by omitting the cinnamon and choc. chips. 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325* F.
  2. Grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
  3. Shred zucchini with either the large holes of a box grated (or use your food processor shredding disc like I did.)
  4. Place shredded zucchini in center of dish towel.  Gather ends together and twist tightly to drain as much liquid as possible, discarding liquid (you should have 1/2 to 2/3 cup liquid).  This method didn’t work well for me, next time I will use an orange squeezer (click here) to remove even more liquid from the zucchini.
  5. Whisk brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in medium bowl.  Fold in zucchini.
  6. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in large bowl.
  7. Fold in zucchini mixture until just incorporated.  Fold in walnuts, if using.  Fold in chocolate chips, if using.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar; it makes a nice crust.
  9. Bake until top bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached – 65-75 minutes.
  10. Let bread cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes.
  11. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on wire rack, serve.

 

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4 thoughts on “ATK’s Zucchini Bread *

  1. Friendly quick tip: If you have a sturdy metal or plastic strainer, and a bowl that will fit snuggly inside it, you can use that to “juice” the zucchini. It’s effective and quick. You can do the entire lot at once. Spread the shredded zucchini in the strainer. Put the smaller bowl on top and press down. The juice will stream out. Best to do this in the sink to limit the mess!

    • Thanks for your comment, Lawrence! I will try that next time. That tip is better than my orange strainer, because the latter would require too many batches to squeeze it all. Thank you!

  2. I saw this on TV today and was shocked at how much sugar was used (about 2 tablespoons a slice). On the show they referred to this bread as a “healthy” snack!! Hardly! It is simply a cake with zucchini added. That is one thing that frustrates me about AKT. They discuss sacrificing a little in flavor to save time BUT never for health. Has anyone tried this with less sugar?

    • Hi Katie,
      You could definitely add less sugar. Try 3/4 cup or even a 1/2 cup, but of course it will be a lot less desserty. It’s not a true bread so it’s a misnomer. It’s truly a sweet bread (cake) but the fact it uses a vegetable and whole-wheat flour make it a much better choice over a triple-chocolate cookie or oversized cupcake with frosting and more. There are much worse things to bake for your health. But, definitely try less sugar and report back. Thanks.

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