Zucchini Bread
Sweet enough to be a breakfast treat and savory enough for a cheese board, this fluffy cake combines thyme with the faint anise scent of caraway. Cayenne adds a hint of heat to the lemon-scented batter.
Zucchini Bread with Walnuts and Thyme
Category
Bread
Servings/Yield
Makes 1 loaf
Author
Lior Lev Sercarz, from "Mastering Spice" by Lior Lev Sercarz
Ingredients
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11⁄4 teaspoons caraway seeds (5 grams)
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1 tablespoon plus 11⁄2 teaspoons dried thyme (3 grams)
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1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1⁄2 gram)
Toast the caraway in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a spice grinder along with the thyme, coarsely grind them together, and mix with the cayenne.
Nonstick pan spray, oil, or butter, for the pan
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
1 cup sugar (210 grams)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder (8 grams)
1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda (7 grams)
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (3 grams)
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3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (155 grams)
2⁄3 cup whole milk (150 grams)
2 large eggs (120 grams)
2 tablespoons carrot or orange juice (30 grams)
1 lemon
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (143 grams)
1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts (51 grams)
Spice Blend
Bread
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat an 10 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, oil, or butter, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease again. Set the pan in a roasting pan in case any batter spills over (it shouldn’t) and to prevent the cake bottom from browning too much.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice blend until well mixed. In another bowl, combine the oil, milk, eggs, and carrot or orange juice. Zest the lemon directly into the bowl. Halve the lemon, squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice (29 grams), and add to the bowl with the liquids. Whisk until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Start whisking slowly from the center of the bowl, gradually drawing in the dry ingredients to prevent them from clumping. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, whisk just until smooth. The thick batter should drip off the whisk. Stir in the zucchini and walnuts, then pour into the pan.
Bake, rotating the pan 180 degrees once halfway through, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on the rack.
Recipe Note
Variations & Ideas
This recipe will also work for eight 4 1⁄2 × 2 1⁄2-inch mini loaf pans or twelve standard muffin cups with paper liners.
Bake times are about 30 minutes for the mini loaf pans, and about 20 minutes for the muffin cups.
Recipe from "Mastering Spice" by Lior Lev Sercarz.
Photo © Thomas Schauer
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
