Last pickings of zucchini from the garden, so I just had to make a few breads for the freezer to enjoy post zucchini season. And I always like to have a few breads at the ready to give away as gifts. My thought process here was to make the bread now instead of shredding the zucchini, freezing it, then thawing it, THEN making the bread. So I figure I save myself a few steps by making the bread now. Make sense? Maybe only to me, but I’m going with it.
That being said, if zucchini is overwhelming your kitchen countertops or fridge, and you don’t have time to cook it now, freezing it is a good way to preserve the precious pulp until you need/want to make something with it, be it bread or casserole or veggie balls, or, or, or.
This is a new zucchini bread recipe to me. I liked the idea of adding cranberries, and funny enough, flax seed meal. The flax seed doesn’t add a flavor, just more texture and healthy properties. You can read more about the benefits of flax seed in a prior post: Ohhh Say Can You Seed.
Getting down to the last half dozen or so of zucchini. Plants are almost finished producing. Happy and sad at the same time. 🙂 🙁
All ingredients mixed together and in the pan! It just takes a few minutes.
I had enough mixture left over to make a mini loaf and taste tested it several times. 🙂
This recipe makes a large, generous loaf which is good because you’ll want more than one slice of this zucchini bread! This one is going to a friend who is battling cancer.
Oops, between taste testing the mini loaf and giving away this loaf, I don’t have anything left to freeze. Guess I’ll just have to make this again, and again, and again….
Serves 12
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded with moisture squeezed out (measure after removing moisture)
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon orange peel, finely shredded
- 1/2 cup Craisins, chopped (or substitute other dried cranberries)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup flax seed meal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cake spice (or apple pie spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- PREP: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9X4 loaf pan with oil or grease with butter.
- Beat egg whites with a fork. Stir in zucchini, sugar, oil, cranberries, and orange peel.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, flax seed meal, and spice.
- Add flour blend to zucchini mixture. Stir until all ingredients are moistened.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Use a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness in the center.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan to continue to cool.
Nutrition
I actually used a spice called Cake Spice that I purchased from Penzeys Spices, but you can make your own too. Here’s that recipe from shenahsrecipe.blogspot.com: 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg powder, 3 cloves, 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon powder, 1/4 Teaspoon Mace powder, 1/4 Teaspoon Black pepper powder, ½ Teaspoon Ginger powder. Put all ingredients in a spice blender and pulse until well mixed.