My kids have never been fans of any kind of squash. I got zucchini at the farmer’s market and wanted to think of a way to use it for something sweet. I made a plain zucchini bread that I thought needed something a bit more interesting. I asked Jack to try it and help me figure out what it needed to make it better. The fact that he even would try it shows that he is maturing. He and I came up with two different ways to dress it up. This one with apples was his idea. While I like mine too (posting in a couple weeks), his was definitely the clear winner. The little bites of apple with the crunch of the walnuts are so delicious in this moist quick bread. Even Jack liked it a lot 😉

Anytime I put the effort in to bake something, I consider it “Live to Eat,” because I really have to be in the right mood for such a precise science. This was fun because of the experiment. I added applesauce for a moist texture. This recipe is vegetarian, but could easily be vegan-ized with a flax egg or egg replacer and some plant-based milk instead of regular.

Here is a short explanation about the mixing methods used in baking. There are three types of mixing methods that have to do with how you incorporate fat into the flour for baking. Quick breads (such as this recipe) and muffins call for the blending method. For reference, I will tell you about the other two first. One is the creaming method (softened butter creamed with sugars to aerate) which is done when making cookies. The second is the cut-in method (cold fat is cut into the dry ingredients), such as is done when baking biscuits or making pie dough. But for the blending method, the fat is liquid and is mixed with the other “wet” ingredients. There is one exception, as I usually put sugar with the “wet” ingredients to help it start dissolving. The “dry” ingredients are whisked together and then the “dry” ingredients are blended into the wet, usually by hand and JUST until incorporated. If you over-mix quick breads, you will get tunneling, which is the creation of small holes in the bread that in turn make the rest of it more dense. That is the reason I suggest to put the nuts into the “dry” ingredients, so there is no need to mix further to fold them in at the end and risk a dense final product. I am no pastry chef, believe me, but that is the way that I explain it to my students when we do this type of recipe in class. I hope it helps!

I would love to hear from you! When I post the other one, please let me know which zucchini bread recipe you prefer. In a couple of weeks, I will post the one that was my idea – Zucchini-orange Bread with Pecans. It is really delicious too! Please consider subscribing to my blog to get an email whenever I post a new recipe. Thank you! Ashley