Wheat Zucchini Bread

OK my neighbor and I decided that we were going to share our gardens this year. However my garden plot got attacked by snails and so the snails have had all the benefit till recently when we fixed the problem and are just now enjoying yummy food from our garden plot as well. Luckily my neighbor had the foresight to also plant zucchini in her garden and it has created beautiful monster zucchini perfect for making lots and lots of bread. She has a recipe that she loves to make that she got from her mom. I suggested that we use half whole wheat flour, olive oil and omit the salt. All in an effort to make it healthier. We have been impressed with the outcome.

Here is our combined effort recipe.


Ingredients:
2 cups zucchini
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients together breaking up any lumps in the baking soda and powder. Add dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and beat on low for 1 minute and on medium to high for 2 minutes or until all ingredients are fully blended together. Place in middle of preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Test with toothpick inserted in middle of bread, if toothpick comes out clean bread is done. If toothpick comes out not clean return to oven for 10 more minutes. Cool and Enjoy!
You can serve this plain or with cream cheese.

We also thought that it would be fun to add carrots to it as well. So we did half our loaves that we made with 2 cups added carrots minus 1 cup zucchini. This was yummy and like we said a way to try and make it healthier.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

OK so I posted another Whole Wheat Recipe on here. And I like it but it was a recipe that I had to acquire a taste to. This one I LOVE and everyone else has loved it to. The best part is that it is easy and quick to make. I adapted it from a recipe that I found on "A Barefooters Quest To Find A Better Way"blog, which she adapted from a recipe that she found in a book called Artisan Bread in 5 minutes A day. When I say adapted I use it loosely in the sense that I added honey and figured out the baking time. I'm a Genius. :0) Also said loosely. So I am going to give you step by step instructions. With pictures so there is no confusion to the ease of this recipe. I used a Kitchen Aid with a dough hook. It could also be done by hand just use oil on your hands so as not to add too much flour to the recipe. This bread is perfect with jam and is so moist and yummy you will hardly believe it is whole wheat bread.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 T yeast
1 T salt
2 T honey
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:
In bowl add first 4 ingredients let sit for 1 minute.

Then add flour all at once.

Turn mixer on speed 1 for 2 minutes. Then up the speed to 4 for 1 minute. Last turn it on to speed 8 for 2 minutes. Let run on high until it clears side and looks like picture below.

When you remove the dough hook this is what it looks like.
Sticky and wet. Perfect.

Leave in bowl like this and cover with towel. Place in warm, dark spot. I put it in my pantry and closed the door. Allow to rise for 1-2 hours.

I use PAM spray and sprayed my counter and dumped the dough on my counter top. Then I sprayed dough and formed into a football shape. And spray loaf pan.

It should look like this in the pan. I put it in upside down first and coated the top then flipped the dough so if you have a seam it is on the bottom.

Cover pan with clean dish towel or I even use a clean washrag.

Let rise till it reaches past the top. I let it rise till this point as in picture below.

Place in cold oven and turn temperature to 365 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove bread from pan and tap lightly on bottom of bread. If it makes a hollow thump bread is done. If you are unsure return bread to pan and cook for 5 more minutes and bread should be fine. Although 35 minutes has always made the bread perfect for us.

Flip bread over on cooling rack allow to cool and enjoy!