zucchini bread: makeover.

What I like:
making & eating quick breads.
zucchini.
being healthy.
bran. (don't tell me i'm weird.)

What I like even more:
all of the above combined into one delicious loaf of bread.

What I like most:
instead of one gorgeous loaf, the above bread in five mini loaves. cute and ready for consumption in no time. yes, i partook in this deliciousness. read on to see how.

I realize that a lot of people might be turned off by zucchini bread, and bran, especially.

But trust me when I say that zucchini bread is absolutely delicious. My mom makes an excellent version that my family, the people my mom works with, and my dad's entire company (basically) salivate over. She is pretty much known for it.

Which makes me a little timid in trying to make healthy, or just different, versions from different recipes. But I took the plunge (um ew sorry for the phrase. why do i use phrases i don't enjoy?) and made this healthier version.

Note moistness and the variation in texture, from the zucchini to the nuts.

My dad didn't like it. Just a warning. However, my brother did, and I did enjoy it lots, as well. If you don't mind eating healthy, try this out! It's not bad. Trust me.

I mean, this blog is based on trust. So you gotta take the plunge! (forgive me) Just do it. Isn't that a Nike slogan? Oh yeah.

Healthy Zucchini Bread
from this site.

• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup bran 
• 2 tspn baking powder 
• 1 tspn ground cinnamon 
• 3/4 tspn salt 
• 1/4 tspn ground cloves 
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/3 cup neutral oil, like canola 
• 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk 
• 1 tspn vanilla extract 
• 2 cups shredded zucchini 
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, optional 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, from the flour to the cloves. 
3. Make the wet mixture, from the sugar to the vanilla. 
4. Add dry to wet. Fold until just incorporated. 
5. Add the zucchini to the batter. Fold in. Fold in nuts, if using. 
6. Divide batter between greased muffin cups, mini loaf pans, or a loaf pan. 
7. Baking times vary from about 15 minutes for the muffins to at least an hour for the regular loaf. 
8. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 
9. Store in airtight container. This comes out very moist and should be eaten within 2-3 days.