Zesty Zucchini Bread

If you have a garden and are growing zucchini, this is about the time of year you have them coming out your ears.  We have a handful of recipes using them, like Seeley’s zucchini fettuccini, my potato and zucchini pie, and quiche.  Today, however, I’m going for a more traditional option.  Everyone has had zucchini bread before, but this recipe is made with buttermilk and lots of spices so it’s moist, flavorful, and delicious. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 cups grated zucchini, room temperature

I know that looks like a long list of ingredients, but most of it is just spices… and speaking of spices, if you happen to have cardamom or mace in your cupboard, feel free to add ¼ teaspoon of either or both.  I just didn’t have any on hand.  I have since remedied the situation with a trip to Penzeys with my friend Elise Logan. 

Before you start with the ingredients, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350° and butter a 2 quart loaf pan. 

Then, into a bowl go all of the dry ingredients except the sugar.  (First 10 on the list)

Whisk that together so that everything is evenly distributed. 

In a separate mixing bowl, go the butter, oil, and sugar. 

Mix until it’s nice and smooth and creamy, then add the eggs and vanilla

Mix until the eggs are completely incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at some point. 

Add the zucchini.

Stir that in and add the buttermilk.

Once that’s incorporated, add the flour mixture. 

Now that the flour is in, you don’t want to over mix, so just gently stir until the flour is barely incorporated. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 

Level it out on top and place it onto a sheet pan before putting it in the oven.  Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes.  It should be nice and brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. 

After 20 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a rack to cool. 

Allow it to cool completely (or nearly) before slicing.  Then inhale the aroma of all those fabulous spices and enjoy.  Spicy, sweet, moist, deliciousness. 

What's growing in your garden this year?   

Homemade Flour Tortillas

And holy guacamole are they easy!  Sorry, I had to.  Seriously, though, they are so easy to make and amazingly delicious.  Hubby says they’re the best tortillas he’s ever had, and trust me, he’s not one of those husbands who just says that to appease me.  The other day, he took a bite of some rosewater and cardamom ice cream I made (which was freaking awesome) and said it was the worst thing he’s ever tasted.  And no, he wasn’t being facetious.  My point is, if he doesn’t like something, he doesn’t hesitate to let me know, so these tortillas must really be fabulous. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• ⅔ cup hot water

Put the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. 

Whisk them together.  Cut the butter into chunks and throw them in. 

Add the oil.

Mix until you have something that looks like wet sand. 

Pour in the hot water and mix. 

It’ll be sticky when it first comes together. Knead it for two minutes or so.  It’ll still be very soft, but it will no longer be sticky and it will completely clean itself from the bowl. 

Cover that and allow it to rest for at least an hour.  You’ve just created gluten with the kneading, and it needs some time to relax or you’ll never be able to roll the dough thin enough for tortillas.  When you’re ready, heat a skillet over medium heat.  I used nonstick, but if you have cast iron, that’s probably even better.  Pull of a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll it in your hands so it’s mostly round. 

Pat it out on a floured surface. 

With your rolling pin, roll it as thin as you can get it, being sure to keep moving it so that it doesn’t stick to the countertop.  It won’t be a perfect circle, but don’t worry.  That’s the beauty of homemade, right?  You want it to be thin enough that you can see through it. 

Lay it into the heated skillet.  No oil or anything in the pan.

When it bubbles up like this, it’s time to flip. 

It should be nicely browned. 

Give it about 45 seconds then check the underside.  If it’s similar in color to the top, remove it from the pan.  Stack them up on top of one another, keeping them covered with a towel as you go. 

With a little practice, you’ll be able to roll one out, lay it in the pan, then quickly roll out the next one before it’s time to flip.  Occasionally you’ll probably end up with a bit of flour in the pan, just wipe it out so it doesn’t burn. 

This recipe makes about 8 tortillas.    

If you wrap them tightly in two layers of towels, they’ll stay warm for like an hour while you make whatever you’re putting inside. 

Soft, beautiful, and delicious. 

 

What would you like to put inside these fabulous tortillas?