After I made my first homemade Sweet Cream Biscuits last year; I couldn’t get over how delicious they were. But in all reality; it is hard to find time to make them whenever I feel the craving for them. When I saw this biscuit recipe that specifically requires the dough to be frozen 6-8 hours prior to baking; I was excited to try them. I’m all about preparation ahead of time so that I can prepare them the night before; and have them ready to be baked in the morning as I get ready. This one is actually better yet; they can be prepared days in advance and you will only bake what you need. Fresh homemade biscuits are then only minutes away in the oven. These are great for mornings when you have company and want something special but quick to serve as breakfast. The only thing that I would do differently would be to use a LARGER biscuit cutter. The recipe calls for a 2-inch cutter; and I feel like I ended up with “mini” biscuits. I normally love miniature size of cakes, cookies, or what not; but somehow; I wanted a larger biscuit 
. I was really glad to have found this recipe; now I feel like I can spoil my overnight guests with these delicious homemade biscuits. Happy Baking!
Adapted from The Best of American Test Kitchen 2008
Ingredients
27 ounces (about 6 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 cups cold heavy cream
Directions
Lightly butter a rimmed baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cream with a nonstick spatula until a dough forms, about 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 60 seconds, dusting with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Pat or roll the dough into a flat circle, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the biscuits using a 2 inch round cutter. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch space in between.
Gather up the scraps of dough, shaking off any excess flour, and re-knead briefly to combine. Pat or roll the dough again into a 3/4 inch thick round, and cut as many biscuits as possible. Repeat the gathering, rolling, and cutting for a third time. Any remaining scraps of dough should be either discarded or gently patted into rustic hand-formed biscuits.
Wrap the baking sheet tightly with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Freeze the biscuits until frozen solid, 6 to 8 hours. Transfer the frozen biscuits to a plastic zip-top freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before baking.
To bake the biscuits, preheat the oven to 450º F, and place a rack in the upper-middle position. Lay the frozen biscuits on a lightly buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake at 450º F until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note: If baking a large amount of biscuits, bake only as many as will fit on one baking sheet at a time; do not bake more than one pan at the same time.
Yield: ~ 5 dozens
As many of my readers probably know by now, I really love quick breads and eat them almost everyday (on the days that I don’t eat them, I get really grouchy). A few of my friends have asked me whether I have tried to make my banana bread lighter. And the answer is yes, of course I have! I honestly don’t recall where the source of this recipe was, I have had this for over 15-years, but it is a lighter version of this Easy Banana Bread recipe that I posted earlier this year.
Of all of the other quick breads that I have made, this is the only version that I must say transformed beautifully into a “lighter” bread without losing its beautiful flavor and texture. I substitute half of the butter with unsweetened apple sauce, use white wheat flour, omit the walnuts, and add a little bit more of mashed bananas into the mixture. Finally, I add a couple of tablespoons of dark chocolate chip morsels because dark chocolate has been said to be healthy! But feel free to omit those. The key here is to make sure that the bananas are very ripe; to ensure that they are tender and have excreted all of that sweet goodness. With this lighter version, I think I can have an extra slice! By the way, I’m absolutely in love with this cinnamon pecan streussel, so I added some for topping–and they were divine. Happy baking!
Source: Blissfully Delicious original
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups white wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup butter/margarine, softened
1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cup mashed ripened bananas (make sure that the banana skin is almost black)
2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chip
Directions
Blend in everything, bake at 350 degree for an hour in a 10×4 pan or, in 2 loaves of 8×3.
Yield: 8 servings per loaf.
Classic white bread is probably one of the most underrated bread kinds today. Either because there are so many other variations out there; or people trying to eat better diet which sometimes includes less stuff that are “white”. I’m personally indifferent with white bread; and yes–I used to eat those soft loaves sold at grocery stores; and sometimes after a few bites, they would stuck on the roof of my mouth . I have never had or made homemade white bread before. My dad, on the other hand, loves white breads. He actually doesn’t want breads other than white. My mom had been asking me to recommend a fool-proof recipe for a white bread; so I decided to experiment.
I have this recipe bookmarked from an old Martha Stewart magazine for Cinnamon Raisin Bread, which I still have yet to make. But it says that the dough recipe starts from the same base; so I figured that I’d give this a try. The recipe is pretty straight-forward and simple; although since bread baking is a science on its own, you have to measure them precisely and adjust as necessary with the humidity of your kitchen surrounding. My dough didn’t turn out as smooth or beautiful as the tutorial was on Martha Stewart online. But regardless, it rose beautifully in about two hours and made my house smell amazing (which makes me want to bake even more breads!). The loaves rose more in the oven, which was cool to watch. The bread has handsome thick crusty crust and beautiful texture instead. It’s not at all like the flimsy loaves that I was used to. This dough can actually be used for three other variations of bread; so I think I am going to give the other three a try sometimes before the weather gets too warm and then I’d feel too lazy to turn on the oven. Happy baking!
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2010
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
2 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl, pans, and brushing
7 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting
4 teaspoons coarse salt
Directions
Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons honey. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle or dough-hook attachment. Add butter and remaining 1 3/4 cups water and 3 tablespoons honey. Whisk flour with salt; add 3 cups to yeast. Mix on low speed until smooth.
Add remaining 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl and forms a ragged, slightly sticky ball. Butter a large bowl.
Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, approximately 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball.
Transfer to prepared buttered bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour.
Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough.
Divide the dough into two equal halves.
Shape 1 dough half into an 8 1/2-inch-long rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Transfer dough, seam side down, to pan. Repeat with remaining dough.
Brush each loaf with butter, or dust with flour for a rustic look (which was my pick).
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drape loaves with plastic. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above tops of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake, rotating pans after 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Let cool completely before slicing.
Yield: 2 loaves
I have been wanting to try making my own Challah for a while now (like, a couple of years). My excuse: I just have an overwhelmingly long list of things that I would like to try someday, although my Bucket List here may not reflect it. One of my motivations for making Challah is they are wonderful bread for French Toast. I finally decided to take the plunge and give this bread a try. One of my friends, Sena, a great baker — often makes this bread; and I asked her if she had any tips for making my first Challah. She graciously offered up her recipe; and I was doing the happy dance at work (thankfully, my co-workers are very tolerant). I knew that her recipe would work, because she makes this bread often.
I had initially planned to take the steps by steps picture of the braid, but (sigh…), just like I always do… I ended up starting this bread at 8 o’clock at night; and probably didn’t finish until after midnight because my kitchen was a little bit drafty, and the dough took longer to rise. The cold winter outdoor really provided a cozy backdrop of my warm baking adventure in the kitchen, but not too great with my energy level. Therefore I only ended up with a final picture. I hope you enjoy this recipe – and would give it a try. I enjoyed this bread toasted with jam and Red enjoyed his with peanut butter. Charlotte enjoyed a couple of ends pieces as well. Everyone in the family was happy and satisfied with this bread. Finally, I also made a fantastic new stuffed French Toast recipe with the leftover that I would post in the near future. Many thanks for Sena for sharing the recipe; and letting me share this with the rest of the world through the blog. Happy eating & baking!
Ingredients
¾ cup warm water
2 large eggs
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3-2/3 cups flour
2 tsp yeast
Directions
Put all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer bowl, fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low for approximately 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and stiff with a slight sheen. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for 2-3 times.
Fold the bottom third up and top third down, fold left and right sides in, and turn the seams’ sides down into a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with lightly oil plastic wrap for approximately one hour or until it is doubled in size.
Punch dough down; divide dough into three equal pieces and roll them into cylinder approximately 18-inches long. Braid the three cylinders together.
Move braided Challah carefully onto a lined baking sheet. Let rise for 30 to 45 minutes in a warm area. Make a glaze of egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water. Brush over bread and sprinkle with kosher salt or sesame seeds.
Bake at 375 for 27 minutes.
Yield: 1 large loaf.
NOTE: If you have worked up the courage to do SIX-braids Challah, I recommend that you follow this fantastic step-by-step instruction on YouTube.
Adapted from Bobbi Kazenelson via Sena Cooper
I was introduced and fell in love with crusty baguettes a long time ago through a friend of mine who loved them with good sharp cheese and red wine. When I discovered that our local grocery stores actually sell par-baked baguettes at their bakery; these breads became a staple at our house. All we needed was to warm it up in the oven prior to serving and we will be delighted with crusty bread with soft interior at meal times. Since we love it so much, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I had to try my hand in making my own homemade baguettes.
The recipe that I used here was taken from one of the best books out there for bread making, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. If you have not had the opportunity to read it, I’d recommend it very highly. It is a great bible so to speak for aspiring bakers, because it really simplifies the mistery of bread baking. The dough used here is boule, and it is so versatile since it can actually be used for baguette, ciabatta, and foccacia to name a few.
You can also par-bake this bread: bake them to about 90% of its regular baking time (in this case, about 25 mins), then cool it off on the rack, and freeze them as soon as they’re cooled. When you’re ready to enjoy them, just defrost them to room temperature and warm them up at 350 degree for about 8-10 min. Happy eating!
Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Boule Dough (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
This recipe makes (4) 1-lb loaf
Ingredients
3 cups lukewarm water, about 100 deg
1-1/2 tbsp granualated yeast (1-1/2 packets)
1-1/2 tbsp kosher salt or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups of unbleached, all purpose flour
Directions
Add yeast and salt to the warm water in at least a 5-qt capacity bowl. You don’t need to get them all dissolved by mixing.
Add all of the flour at once and mix using a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook until the mixture is uniform. It should not take more than a few minutes at the most, until everything is uniformly mixed. The dough should be wet and loose.
Cover with a plastic wrap or clean cloth, and let it sit at room temperature for approximately 2 hours. Leave this dough overnight in the refrigerator. (Up till this step, this dough can be refrigerated up to 14 days in lidded, not airtight, container. If you plan on using it at a later time, the dough should be stored in the freezer). The storage time also has been said to improve the flavor.
Baguette direction
1 lb dough of boule
1 tbsp of whole wheat flour
Place a baking stone in the middle rack of your oven. Heat the oven to 450 degree.
Using regular flour, shape the dough into 2-inch diameter cylinder by elongating it with back and forth rolling motion.
You can make this into two small loaves, or one large one. Make sure that if you choose a large one, it will fit on your baking stone. I actually made 3 medium sized loaves from 2-lb of dough.
Place the loaves on a pizza peel covered with the whole wheat flour. Allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
After the dough rests, glaze the top of loaves with water using a pastry brush. Make slits on top of the loaves using serrated bread knife. Then transfer the loaves directly onto the hot baking stone.
Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray or a regular pie pan, and quickly close the oven over. Bake about 25 mins or until browned.
Cool on a rack before cutting or eating.
In some areas around here, there are still probably three to six inches of snow on the ground out here (although I may add that it is quickly melting!). My mind and soul, however, are ready for the spring or even summer! The combination of the cream cheese and raspberry filling in this recipe was such a good tease preparing me for the upcoming warmer months that we all look forward to.
While this recipe looks difficult; I can assure you that it is not. The brioche dough that I used is so versatile that you can modify the fillings to whatever you like, such as different berries (fresh or frozen), diced apples in the fall, or pears in the winter. If you want something savory on your menu, add chopped up spinach, ham, and ricotta… then viola! This is truly a one-stop meal that would satisfy any craving.
Brioche dough adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day & filling adapted from the Fresh Loaf
Ingredients
1 lb of brioche dough (or any other sweet dough of your choice)
Cream Cheese Filling
Raspberry Filling
Egg glaze
Directions
Thaw your refrigerated or fresh dough, and roll them on floured surface to fit a rectangular 1/2-sheet size cookie sheet.
Preheat your oven to 350 degree.
Place parchment paper on your cookie sheet; and transfer your dough. Spread the cream cheese filling on the middle third of your dough. Repeat the layer using the raspberry filling.
Make the “braids” by cutting about 1.5-inch apart tabs on each sides of the dough. Alternating the pieces, fold the dough over to cover the filling until it’s all covered. Press gently to seal as necessary.
The dough that I used required it to sit and rest for a minimum of 1 hour (if you used other dough, follow its requirement, whether it’s 45 min or 1 hr resting time). After about an hour, glaze the braid with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake for about 35 min or until golden brown. I would have taken mine a tad bit sooner than 35 min, so start watching the color around 25 min mark.
Egg glaze
1 egg
1 tbsp of milk
Beat the egg and milk together. Set aside.
Raspberry Filling
2 cups of raspberries (frozen, or fresh)
1/4 cup of corn starch
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Mix all of the ingredients together to a boil in a medium-heat. Stir constantly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pot. Then let simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside, let cool.
Cream Cheese Filling
3/4 cup of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp of egg glaze mixture
2 tbsp sugar
Mix all of the ingredients together. Make sure the cream cheese is well mixed with the other three ingredients. Set aside.
Yield: 8-10 generous servings (1 giant loaf!)
Banana bread is simply one of my favorite things to bake. I have tried several different recipes in the past; some that I have liked, and other were okay. But I keep on going back to this hand-written recipe that I can’t even remember the source. I have been making this version below for probably over 15 years. There is nothing fancy or special with recipes; it calls for standard pantry items and very ripe bananas. I usually wait until my bananas are very brown that they give off these incredible sweet smell, then I would look forward to making these on the weekends’ morning.
If you want to try other varieties, here are the two that I have posted in the past:
Banana Bread, Flour Bakery Famous
Banana Bread, Kona Inn
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup butter/margarine, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripened bananas
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Blend in everything, bake at 350 degree for an hour in a 10×4 pan.
Yield: 10 servings
I love getting together with friends for a great meal. There is something so soothing about having a great homemade meal surrounded by close friends. I’m so lucky that my friends love my cooking and baking (…at least, in front of me they claim that they do!). They understand that I have this obsession with keeping a mental list of items that I’d like to make on the weekends. I usually know what I am going to bake when–and I usually have an idea of what I am going to make for a dinner party a few weeks ahead.
I have been singing the praises of homemade breads, and I have been wanting to make this overnight honey wheat rolls when I saw the recipe several weeks ago. The beauty of this recipe that it doesn’t require kneading (yey!!), but then it needs to sit overnight, which can work both to your advantages or disadvantage! It’s a huge advantage because you have one less thing to do on the day that you need them. But at the same time, you need to plan well, since this dough needs to rise overnight in a refrigerator.
These rolls turned out to be a crowd-pleasing when we brought these over to our friends’ house for dinner. They had a nice soft crisp skin in the outside with a nice texture inside, with just enough hint of honey. I forgot to cover these as soon as I made them into knots (and as a result they didn’t rise right away!). When I noticed that they didn’t rise, I covered them for about 45 minutes and they had a nice rise to them (not doubled as the recipe stated below). Everyone loved them, and we enjoyed them not only for dinner, but also for breakfast!
Adapted from Taste of Home Holiday-Thanksgiving 2009
Ingredients
1-1/4 cup warm water (110 to 120 degrees F)
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dried yeast
2 egg whites
1/3 cup honey
1/4 canola oil
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
Melted butter, optional
Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in a 1/4 cup of warm water. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add yeast mixture, honey, oil, salt, whole wheat flour and remaining water. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky–and I had to add a tablespoon of water to make it moist, due to the humidity in my kitchen). Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a well-floured surface, divide in half. Shape each portion into nine-balls. To form knots, roll each ball into a 10-in rope; tie into a knot. Tuck ends under. Place rolls 2-inch apart on a greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 50 minutes. Bake at 375 degree for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter if desired.
Yield: 1 to 1-1/2 dozens
I have been wanting to make my own breads for a while, and must admit that I am a little bit intimidated by the whole process. I always assumed that bread making usually takes so much time, and requires a lot of kneading, which I am not very excited about. I have made bread in the past before using a bread machine, but that was way back in college. I can’t even recall what recipe I used, and so I began my hunt for a simple bread recipe that I could try with a high possibility for success (I figured if I failed in my first attempt, I *might* get discouraged in the future).
I quickly landed on this recipe, another one from one of the Barefoot Contessa books. This recipe claims that it doesn’t require any kneading although it needs to sit overnight, therefore you need to plan for it. I thought okay, this sounds too good to be true. I must say though that this recipe truly delivered on its promise: it was easy to make & does not require kneading. It just takes time , so I had to plan for it a little bit–and I didn’t have any problem with waiting (well, not for this one–but I normally would). The reward of having this freshly baked good out of the oven was worth the time I waited for the dough to be ready. I even enjoyed the process of waiting for this bread to be prepared.. I love the smell of the dough as it was mixed in the mixer (Red told me that it reminded him of a brewery… well, I was thinking more of a bakery, but okay, I got his points… yeast + wheat= beers! Got it). Then finally when it was baking in the oven, the wonderful aroma of this bread completely filled the house.
I was finally rewarded with a slice of this warm bread with soft texture in the inside and a crunchy skin on the outside. This one was a keeper–and I will make it again in the future!
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 120 degrees F)
1 package dried yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 -1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk for egg wash
Directions
Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water so it’s at least 110 degrees when you add the yeast.) Mix with your hands and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 1/4 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Grease two 8-1/2 X 4-1/2 X 2-1/2 loaf pans. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and cut in half. Pat each portion into a 6×8-inch rectangle, then roll up each rectangle into a cylindrical loaf. Place each loaf, seam side down, into a greased pan. Cover the pans with a damp towel and we set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the rolls have risen, brush the top of each with the egg wash and bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.
Adapted from Barefoot in Paris
I found a gorgeous giant zucchini at our local farmer market for $1 last weekend. When I picked it up, I thought that I would make it into a quiche, since we haven’t had a quiche for a while. Then I came home and realized that I didn’t have any heavy cream, half and half, or any whole milk. All I had was skim milk, so I decided to just skip the quiche. What I have been craving for a while now is a some sort of breakfast bread, so I thought that zucchini bread would satisfy my craving.
I decided to try Heidi Swanson’s My Special Zucchini Bread recipe because it had a lot of ingredients that I thought was a little bit different than what I would normally find in a zucchini bread, such as poppy seed, crystallized ginger, and lemon zest (although I didn’t have lemon, so I ended up baking it without them!). I also love that her recipe yielded 2 loaves and gets rid of half of my zucchini. (Yes, after I grated my zucchini, I ended up with about 5 cups of nicely shredded zucchini, so I still ended up with extra 2 cups!)
In addition to lemon, I also omitted curry from the spices below–because we only had hot curry in the house, and I wasn’t sure at this point whether I am ready to have a spicy zucchini bread. I really ended up loving this recipe, because it was moist and had such a nice texture to it, and the poppy seed and the ginger really added a nice crunch to every bite. Heidi mentioned that she liked her bread a little bit underdone, so I baked mine for about 45 minutes. One turned out great, but the 2nd one came out a little bit too moist in the center, so I had to throw it back in the oven for additional 5 minutes.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, plus a few to sprinkle on top
1/3 cup poppy seeds (optional)
zest of two lemons (optional)
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fine grain natural cane sugar or 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 whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder (optional)
Special equipment: two 1 pound loaf pans (5 x 9 inches)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter the two loaf pans, dust them with a bit of flour and set aside. Alternately, you can line the pans with a sheet of parchment. If you leave a couple inches hanging over the pan, it makes for easy removal after baking. Just grab the parchment “handles” and lift the zucchini bread right out.
In a small bowl combine the walnuts, poppy seeds, lemon zest, and ginger. Set aside.
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 (low speed if you are using a mixer).
In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry 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.
By hand, fold in the walnut, poppy seed, lemon zest, and crystalized ginger mixture. Save a bit of this to sprinkle on the tops of the zucchini loaves before baking for a bit of texture. Avoid over mixing the batter, it should be thick and moist, not unlike a butter cream frosting.
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. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling – if you leave them in their pans, they will get sweaty and moist (not in a good way) as they cool.
Yield: 2 loaves
