Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I made this years ago for a July 4th party with my friend and her family.  She absolutely adored it (to the point where she still talks about it and asks if I've made it lately).  I had planned to make it last year, but plans fell apart.  So this year when I was gifted with zucchini, I knew I had to get it done!  I had forgotten how easy this one was to make, even though I dirtied more dishes than I really needed to this time around.  I might even make it again this year (more zucchini!) and I'll try to not dirty as many dishes!

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate; beat well. Stir in the flour baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

• Step 3

  Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Cranberry Orange Bread

For our New Year's brunch this year, I wanted to serve something sweet to go with Biscuits and Gravy Casserole and Caramelized Ham and Cheese Buns.  I searched my Pinterest boards and found this really delicious cranberry orange bread.

Click here for the original link on the blog Taste and Tell.

Cranberry Orange Bread

Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

grated zest of 1 large orange

⅔ cup fresh orange juice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1¼ cups fresh cranberries

½ cup nuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the orange juice, eggs and vegetable oil. Stir gently, just until almost combined. Fold in the cranberries and nuts, making sure you don’t over mix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Bread

My friend shared this bread with me when my grandmother passed away.  I borrowed her cookbook Treasury of Christmas Recipes, and copied the recipe, keeping her addition of the chocolate chunks.

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, chocolate at end; beat until well mixed.  Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Bake in preheated 350* oven 45-55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.  Loosen edges; remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Beer Bread

A cousin shared a recipe link on fb, and since I have some beer not being consumed in the fridge (I was hoping to make more beer-can chicken), I thought it seemed like a winning idea.  The link that was shared called for self-rising flour, but it said it was adapted from another page, which only called for all-purpose flour.  But the same amounts of baking powder and salt!!  So I followed my baking instincts.  Thankfully, those instincts were right, because while it was baking I found the original fb post and the commenters agreed with me.  If you're using self-rising flour, you should be able to skip adding the baking powder and salt.  The 12 tomatoes site calls for 1/3 cup brown sugar, but I went with the recipe they adapted from since I was using Honey Brown beer.  There isn't a beer taste to the bread, it tastes like a lovely rustic loaf without the kneading and rising.  In just over an hour (mostly baking time) - you too can have a loaf of homemade bread!

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
12 oz beer (whatever you have or your favorite)

Preheat the oven to 375* and lightly grease a loaf pan (about 9x5)
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.
Slowly pour in beer and mix with a wooden spoon.
(Optional, fold in flax or chia seeds at this point, recipe didn't specify, I didn't).
Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 45-55 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick (or skewer) inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Molasses Bread

I received a copy of The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook (ISBN: 978-1-4454-6788-7) for Christmas and the first recipe I tried was this lovely molasses bread. I use a pastry cutter for cutting in the butter, and it seems to take a bit longer than the top end, 55 minutes, to be completely done, even with my slightly bigger than called for loaf pan, although I'm using a pyrex pan, not metal.

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

5 Tbsp lightly salted butter, plus extra to serve

3 Tbsp molasses

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup currants

1/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Grease and line a small 6 ½ x 3 ¾ inch loaf pan.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices into a bowl.  Lightly rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Whisk the molasses with the eggs and buttermilk, then stir in the sugar.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the molasses mixture.  Mix with a fork, gradually drawing in the flour from around the edges.

Add the currants and golden raisins, and mix to a soft dough.  Spoon the dough into the prepared loaf pan, leveling the surface with a wet spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let rest for about 2 hours to cool completely.

Serve spread thickly with butter.

Dinner Rolls

I love my bread machine.  And yet, I haven't used since we moved into our house three years ago!  I finally got it out again and made these delicious dinner rolls the other night for dinner.

The recipe comes from Gold Medal's Best Bread Machine Recipes cookbook.  I bought it at least 10 years ago.  I rearranged the ingredients in the order my bread machine suggests.  Check yours to be sure it's the same.

In my machine, the total prep time for this recipe is 2 hours and 10 minutes, so I have to plan accordingly in advance!

Dinner Rolls

1 cup water
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups flour
3 tsp yeast

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Dough/Manual cycle.  Do not use Delay cycle. (My bread machine takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to do this)

Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.

Grease large cookie sheet.  Divide dough into 15 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise in a warm place 30-40 minutes or until double.  (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 375. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush tops with melted butter if desired.  Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

The boyfriend found this recipe at allrecipes a couple of years ago and I adored the mini loaves when he made them. Another time I might try sprinkling some cinnamon sugar on top for a little something extra. And I ended up with 5 loaves instead of 4 as the recipe says, so make sure to have an extra mini loaf pan on hand.

Ingredients

* 3 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups white sugar
* 2 cups shredded zucchini
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
3. Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.