This quick Zucchini Bread recipe appears at most Recker family gatherings, and it does not last long. Its delicious sweetness and dense texture make it irresistible. For decades, Brooke Recker has kept the recipe as a top-secret sort of thing. Unless she likes you and you ask very nicely for it. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, she suggests you follow the recipe, slather it with room-temperature butter from a local farm, and enjoy every bite.
Why Use Cold Butter Only in Zucchini Bread?
Using cold butter in zucchini bread is a crucial technique for achieving a tender and fluffy texture. Cold butter, when mixed with dry ingredients, creates small pockets of fat throughout the dough. As the bread bakes, these pockets of butter melt, releasing steam and creating air pockets that result in a lighter, more tender crumb. If you were to use softened or melted butter, the fat would be absorbed into the flour, leading to a denser, more cake-like texture.
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Brooke’s Zucchini Bread
Description
A zucchini bread for the ages straight from the Recker family.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp cold butter
Instructions
- Grease two loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
- Add oil, eggs, and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add zucchini and stir until combined.
- Pour into greased loaf pans.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and cold butter with a fork until combined coarsely. Use half of the mixture to sprinkle in a line running down the center of each loaf.
- Bake for 75 minutes. Check for doneness with wooden skewer.
Recipe by Brooke Recker
Story and Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce
Platter by Frank Defabo, FDP Ceramics
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