Zucchini Bread - it will change your life

Hi everyone! It seems crazy but our regular season is already over! It's playoff time and we're really excited to actually be in the playoffs this year. That also means that our time here is almost over. Whenever something is coming to an end it makes you look back and remember that stage of your life. Our time in Poland has been great. Sometimes hard, frustrating, even boring but overall we've enjoyed ourselves here.

Looking back at my year usually involves thinking about the best things I've made. This one was actually brought to my attention by one of our teammates. I made some zucchini bread at the beginning of the year and brought it to some of our friends. He thought it was the best thing he's ever eaten. And he kept telling me how great it was. He ate the whole loaf in one sitting. Then he told me he would invest in my bakery if I ever opened one in Israel. That was definitely one of the best compliments.

Honestly, I've always loved zucchini bread. My mom has made it ever since I was little and it's one of my favorites. So being gluten free was not an excuse to leave behind one of my favorite things.

So I found a recipe online and adapted it to be gluten free. And it just so happens to be dairy free. After a couple of trials I have tweaked it to be just right. Not that it needed changing. Just perfecting. That's kinda how I do things :)

I adapted this recipe to be gluten free from this regular version: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moms-zucchini-bread/

Zucchini Bread

Time: 1 hr 20 min                              Servings: 2 loafs

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups All purpose gluten free flour (see my blend here)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 2 tsp Guar Gum (or xanthan gum)
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 4 Eggs
• 1 cup Vegetable oil
• 1-3/4 cups Granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 2 cups Zucchini, grated
• 1 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)

METHOD:

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, guar gum, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in zucchini and nuts. Pour batter into pans.
4. Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top becomes too brown, tent it with some aluminum foil. Cool bread in the pan for 20 minutes.

You're supposed to wait until the loaf is completely cool before you slice it, but it's soooooo good warm from the oven. It's kinda like cake that you pass off as a bread. If I make it for dessert, I don't put the nuts. You could even add a glaze to be extra fancy. Either way, you will love this. It might unofficially be the best thing I've made this year...

Love,

Maura