De Baking Psychopath

Zucchini season marches on! So here is yet another variation on the fabulous and versatile quickbread to try while the squashes overrun the markets or your garden. This zucchini bread comes from the cookbook Tartine , brought to us by the founders of the famous San Fran bakery of the same name. The interesting twist to this recipe is the addition of orange marmalade to the batter, which the authors say adds a complementary layer of flavor to the bread and contributes to the moistness of the cake. And this baby is Moist--almost pudding-like in its moistness, due to the high ratio of zucchini to flour in the recipe. It isn't too sweet, and the deep brown crust that develops on the outside (especially the sugar-encrusted top) is rich and crunchy when fresh from the oven. It is also paler in color than previous zucchini breads featured on this blog, due to the use of only white sugar. The biggest problem I had with the flavor profile of this bread was the almost overwhelming flavor ...

I love quickbreads and muffins. It's the number one food label/tag on this blog. I'm perhaps more than slightly obsessed by finding recipes for moist, soft, not-too-sweet muffin-y goodness (as evidenced by the disproportionate number of recipes I have of quickbreads of various sorts versus other types of baked goods). They're quick and easy, often don't require a mixer, are crowd-pleasers, and freeze up beautifully for months of delicious, homemade breakfasts. But I have a somewhat shameful admission to make as a baker and as a quickbread/muffin-lover: I don't like banana bread. Heresy, I know, I know... One of the most versatile base recipes ever, rich in nutrients, moist... everything a good quickbread should be. I just don't like the taste, or the smell. I barely like eating fresh bananas. (And let's all ignore the phallic implications of bananas... ) But wait, hear me out. (Don't burn me yet). I humbly offer as a replacement delic...

I'd heard great things about zucchini bread, how it's so moist and etc etc. But zucchini bread and myself never had the opportunity to cross paths until about a week or two ago, when a co-worker of mine brought some in to share. Light, fluffy, yet moist, and fragrant with cinnamon. Basically, think back to my ravings about Pear Bread , and minus the grittiness of the pears (a subtle yet noticeable texture). Where has zucchini bread been all my life?!! Running away from me, I bet. 'Cuz now I'm on a zucchini bread rampage. I quickly asked for and procured the recipe, went out and got a bunch of zucchinis, and now I've made the recipe twice, with my little tweaks. If you've never had zucchini bread before, just think of the moistest cinnamon-flavored quickbread you can imagine and that is just an inkling of the deliciousness that awaits you. I'm thinking about using zucchini's power to hold moisture into a quickbread to make the bran muffins I made rec...