As I get older, I think I am getting more sentimental!
This morning I had the pleasure of attending a local meeting run by Moira from Northern Suburbs Organic Group (see here) on learning about bush foods … I decided to take along the Zucchini Breakfast Bread to share with others whilst enjoying a cuppa because it is such a cold day here. After the meeting I was so surprised to have Moira ask for the recipe which she is going to pass onto others because it was so well received.
This is why I love doing what I do (sharing recipes) … I come from a large family that is spread right across Australia. I am the only one in Perth so by sharing recipes I feel a connection to anyone that is keen or interested in them, and it allows me to feel part of a “local” family if I can call it that. This is what sharing is all about, and I just love the community we are all part of here in Perth (such an awesome city to live in!).
So … onto the recipe.
I am always checking into foodie websites that I respect and Food 52 is definitely one of those. They have a “community” philosophy of sharing recipes which I love, so they have many people who contribute their favourites to the website. Last week I saw this recipe by Emma Laperruque, and it appealed to me because it is more “bread like” with minimal sugar making it a better breakfast option to many sweet banana bread recipes that are more “cake like”. A slice of this is great for a quick breakfast (with a cuppa!) if time is short, makes a great morning or afternoon tea snack, and would be terrific for school lunch boxes as it is nut free.
For the original version see here … it can easily be made using just one mixing bowl, but I have chosen to use my Thermomix as it is quicker for me to grate the zucchini in it, and I then continued to mix in the other ingredients in the Thermomix so that I still only had one bowl to wash up at the end of it.
I have replaced the sugars with unrefined Golden Caster Sugar and Light Muscovado Sugar, but you can use plain caster sugar and brown sugar if you prefer. I also replaced the flour with a mix of white and wholemeal spelt flours, and I omitted the walnuts due to nut allergy in my family.
In terms of fruit I choose to use Persian Green Raisins which I get from The Spice Library in Midland (see here) … I love their products … it is a local family that make a lot of their own products, and these are organic green raisins which have been naturally sun-dried. I wanted to use these as I love their green hue, and as they are smaller than normal raisins I knew they would allow me to cut better slices of the bread without the fruit dragging its way through it. As an alternative I would suggest using natural sultanas as they are smaller than normal raisins.
This loaf keeps really well for a few days at room temperature in a sealed container … it is delicious served with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt on the side, or some labne if you have it. Whilst I haven’t toasted a piece of it yet in the sandwich press, I suspect that would be fabulous too.
This loaf keeps really well for a few days at room temperature in a sealed container ... it is delicious served with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt on the side, or some labne if you have it. Whilst I haven't roasted a piece of it yet in the sandwich press, I suspect that would be fabulous too.
- 320g zucchini, cut into chunks
- 70g golden caster sugar, or plain caster sugar
- 70g light muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 x 60g eggs
- 140g light olive oil
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bi carb soda
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 90g white spelt flour, or plain white flour
- 90g wholemeal spelt flour, or plain wholemeal flour
- 60g golden raisins, or natural sultanas
- 30g oats, plus more for topping of loaf
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan forced, and place rack into middle of oven
- Grease and line a 22cm x 11cm (base measurement) loaf tin with baking paper
- Place zucchini into TM bowl and chop 2 seconds / speed 5
- Remove zucchini, place into a tea-towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, put aside zucchini filled tea-towel until needed
- Place sugars, eggs and olive oil into TM bowl and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
- Scrape around bowl and repeat 10 seconds / speed 4
- Return zucchini to TM bowl and blend 5 seconds / reverse / speed 2, then scrape around bowl to fully incorporate
- Add baking powder, bi carb soda and salt and mix 5 seconds / reverse / speed 2, then scrape around bowl
- Add flours, golden raisins and oats and mix 10 seconds / reverse / speed 3
- Scrape around bowl and repeat 5 seconds / reverse / speed 3
- Pour batter into tin, smooth over top with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle over a generous amount of oats
- Bake for 1 hour, or until fully baked when tested with a skewer (it takes 1 hour and 10 minutes in my oven)
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the tin, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before cutting
- Keeps well for a few days at room temperature
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