Zucchini Bread ~ Recipe 1

I'm a bread-loving girl.  I'll admit it.  I'll also blame a few of my extra lbs on my love for bread :)  I love banana bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, bread-bread!  I am a purist though - I don't typically like add-ins.  No nuts, no chocolate chips, just a nice moist, dense bread.  Lots of flavor.

I got a few big zucchinis and decided I needed to make a few loaves of bread with them.  It turned out okay, but I think I will try a few different recipes to see if I can perfect it.  These were a little dense, and the sugar kind of "floated" to the surface and crystallized.  It was still yummy, but I was imagining something different.

So here is my first attempt at zucchini bread.  Stay tuned for future attempts!

3 1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. baking soda

pinch salt

3 c. sugar (I might try substituting brown sugar for 1 c.)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 c. water

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 c. grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350; butter & flour 2 standard loaf pans.

In large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large bowl, combine sugar, oil, butter, eggs, water, lemon juice and zucchini until fully combined.

Slowly combine with wet ingredients with dry ingredients, stir until combined (but do not overmix!)

Pour batter into prepared pans, bake for 1 hour until tester comes out clean.