This time of year, zucchini bread is the king of breads.  If no one has gifted you with a giant zucchini yet this year then get down to a farm stand (we are lucky enough to live right down the road from Herrick Farms) and get one.  To have the excuse to eat your daily quota of vegetables while wrapped up in a moist, flavorful, cake creation is a REALLY great thing!

I’ve been experimenting with zucchini bread recipes for the past 37 years.  (Wow, that is scary, I actually did the math.)  I remember sitting at our breakfast bar, shredding zucchini for what seemed like hours – pretty sure some skin got shredded in as well – yikes!  Back then my mom and I always used the Springfield School District Cookbook recipe for Millie’s Bread but instead of carrots we just used zucchini.  It’s a great recipe but through the years I have developed my own.

The recipe I have been using for the past decade, still on an old fashioned recipe card, has been altered so many times I can hardly read it.  There’s the original version from my friend Denise Henderson; then my version with more zucchini, less sugar, whole wheat flour and more cinnamon; on the side is the gluten-free version I developed for my cookbook, The Power of Flour; in red pen is the suggested “doubled” version; and on the back is my sort-of-healthy chocolate version.  So many recipes for such a small card!  Looking at that card always makes me think of the line in the Traveling Wilbury’s song, “She wrote a long letter, on a short piece of paper.”  It was time to tidy them up share them.  The following are my sort-of-healthy-but-still-super-yummy versions of this seasonal favorite.  Zucchini bread freezes well – put some in the freezer to enjoy on a busy weeknight later in the year.

Big Batch Zucchini Bread

BIG batch – makes 2 9×11 pans or 5 standard loaves

Chocolate Almond Zucchini Bread

BIG batch – makes 2 9×11 pans or 5 standard loaves