Good Morning and Happy Friday!
Although I love EATING baked goods, I've never been much of a baker. My mom never baked...it's just not a "thing" in Thai cuisine, so I didn't grow up eating any breads or pastries. I didn't even grow up with an oven in our house! Well, actually, that's not entirely true. When I was around 8 my dad purchased an oven for our house in Bangkok but my mom didn't know how to use it so the only time it was used was when my dad came to visit for Christmas and we'd make Chocolate Chip Cookies together (for Santa). Then when I came to the US for boarding school at 13, I was exposed to delightful things like bagels...muffins...croissants!...cakes...DONUTS (literally my favorite thing in the whole wide world - hence, the logo) and all different types of breads. My mind was blown and my tastebuds were in heaven. I ate so much of that shit I gained 30 pounds in 3 months that my mom didn't even recognize me at the airport when she came to pick me up for Christmas Break. She literally walked right by me (yikes!).
So I guess you can say I've had a love-hate relationship with bread/gluten ever since my Freshmen 30. Now-a-days, I do my best to stay away from baked goods but sometimes you just gotta treat yourself! And when I'm in the mood to bake or in the mood to eat something baked, you better believe it's gonna be good, and this bread my friends, is crazy addictive, Double Yummy Too Much Goodness...but without as much sugar as some of the other recipes out there.
Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):
- Two 8 x 4 inch pans
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1.5 cups White Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbs ground Cinnamon
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup chopped Walnuts
- 1 Zucchini, peeled & grated
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and grease the two 8 x 4 pans (I just spray them with Pam).
2. Sift the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Salt together in a bowl.
3. Beat the Eggs, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, and Vanilla together in a separate, larger bowl then add the sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix well.
4. Stir in the grated Zucchini and chopped Walnuts.
5. Once the batter is well combined, pour mixture into the pans filling them up 3/4 of the way.
6. Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until tester (I just use a toothpick) inserted in the center comes out smooth and clean (no batter clumps!). If you want to remove the loaf from the pan, make sure you let it cool for about 30 minutes first, then cooled completed prior to slicing.
Now enjoy it toasted with butter and a cup of coffee in the morning!
Have a great weekend!
Chokh Dee!
Stevie
