Farmers Market Zucchini Bread

I went to the A2 Farmers Market last weekend and bought a bunch of Zucchini, in hopes that I'd be able to make a whole bunch of food with zucchini in it. However, life got in the way. My zucchini was beginning to reach the end of its life and I decided I needed to make something ASAP. Having scoured the internet to find a recipe that could use up all my zucchini in one fell swoop, I found 101Cookbook's "Special Zucchini Bread" recipe and I decided I couldn't pass it up! I made a few changes, but here is the recipe! I must say, this is some of the best Zucchini bread that I've had in a long time - the flavors were very rich and deep and it's not too sweet.

Zucchini Bread

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, plus a few to sprinkle on top
• 1/3 cup poppy seeds
• zest of two lemons
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium), skins on, squeeze some of the moisture out and then fluff it up again before using
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon curry powder

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter the two loaf pans, dust them with a bit of flour and set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine the walnuts, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. In a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until mixture comes together and is no longer crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and curry powder. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring between each addition.
5. Fold in the walnut, poppy seed and lemon zest mixture. Save a bit of this to sprinkle on the tops of the zucchini loaves before baking for a bit of texture.
6. Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pans. Make sure it is level in the pans, by running a spatula over the top of each loaf. Bake for about 40-45 minutes on a middle oven rack. I like to under bake my zucchini bread ever so slightly to ensure it stays moist. Keep in mind it will continue to cook even after it is removed from the oven as it is cooling. Remove from the oven and cool the zucchini bread in pan for about ten minutes.