Zucchini-Apple Bread

I've done many variations over the years on zucchini bread. It's a sweet bread, almost a cake. Dense, moist, rich... and a great way to use up some of those squash before they stage an invasion. I've blended grated carrots and zucchini, used the yellow summer squash rather than the green, thrown in a handful of blueberries, it's all good.

Zucchini is rather flavorless on it's own. You could likely do this with just apple, and it would taste of the apple.

Zucchini-Apple Bread with swirls of nutmeg showing.

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Most zucchini bread recipes call for 3 cups of sugar, I reduced it to two, and it was not so cakey-sweet as they usually are, while being very nice. We didn't miss that cup of sugar in the flavor at all.

You can always grate up extra zucchini and freeze it - I measure it into baggies 2 cups at a time so I can just grab one to thaw when we want it in the dead of winter. I'd recommend tossing the grated apple with a little lemon juice to delay browning if you do this with it. I use my Cuisinart to grate up large quantities at a time, and it saves my arms. I'm a lazy cook!

For that matter, this recipe will double, and if you tightly wrap a cooled loaf of zucchini bread it freezes beautifully. I usually put mine in plastic wrap, and then two fit in a gallon ziploc. Great way to have baked goodies fast when you have an unexpected potluck or visitor show up on a day you're not feeling up to baking. I normally thaw on the counter, but you can unwrap, put back in the pan, and give it twenty minutes in the oven at 300 deg F for that toasty fresh taste.

It's not quick, but easy, reliable, and a great snack to have around for the kids. Or the First Reader, or...