Zucchini Bread

I think I've mentioned on here that I love the show Top Chef.  When I heard that Gail Simmons had written the book Talking with My Mouth Full, I knew I wanted to read it.  The book was so interesting that I ended up finishing it within a few days.  The best part of the book?  The recipes she shares at the end!

Due to my newfound love of zucchini, I was immediately drawn to the recipe that Gail shares of her mother's zucchini bread.  The recipe makes 2 loaves, but I opted to make one big loaf and then two mini loaves.  My husband and I ate the larger loaf over the week after I made it, then I brought one mini loaf to my office where it was devoured (ok, not going to lie, I ate some of this one in addition to the one at home, this was so good!!) and then we froze the final loaf.  To freeze it, I wrapped it in clingwrap and then in foil.  When we wanted to serve the frozen loaf, I took it out of the freezer earlier that day, removed the foil and let it thaw out in the clingwrap.  A few hours later it was just as moist and delicious as it was when I first made it!

Zucchini Bread (recipe from the Gail Simmons book Talking With My Mouth Full)

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini, drained
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1 cup raisins

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush two standard loaf pans with softened butter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until frothy.  Add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract, stirring well to combine.  Stir in the zucchini, then add the flour mixture, walnuts and rasins.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold ingredients until just combined.  Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans.  Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 min).
- Let the bread cool in the pans on a wire rack.  When they are cool enough to handle, run a knife around the edges of the pans, invert and release the loaves.