My families urban farm was two acres near the heart of town where we grew a little bit of everything. Each year for some unknown reason my dad would plant so much zucchini, I remember we ate it at every meal. We would give it to every friend, neighbor, friend of a friend and neighbors neighbor. The zucchini grew so prolifically, if you missed one it could grow as big as a baseball bat. By fall we were weary of squash.
As our protests about eating squash grew louder, mom got creative. Without saying a word, she started slipping and sneaking squash into other dishes like soups, salads, relishes, casseroles and baked goods. The daily family joke became, “where did mom hide the zucchini”? Although we weren’t completely fooled, the concealing of squash in cakes, breads and savory pancakes was ingenious.
This well loved recipe I used for decades in catering. The yogurt and zucchini makes it moist and squeezing the squash out keeps it from being soggy. It makes 3 loaves and freezes well. I think it tastes better if baked ahead and chilled before slicing.
Zucchini Bread
Makes 3 loafs, about 10 slices each
2 pounds zucchini shredded
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
½ cup plain yogurt
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ cup butter melted
Grate and squeeze zucchini by twisting in a clean towel to remove water. Set aside.
In a large bowl stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice. Add salt.
In a separate bowl whisk sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice and butter until combined.
Gently fold yogurt mixture and zucchini into flour mixture until combined.
Prepare three 9x5x3 inch loaf pans by spraying with food release and fitted with a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan, remove bread and chill before slicing.
COOKS NOTE
Use 3 cups of batter per loaf pan then divide the remaining batter per pan.
