James Beard's Zucchini Bread

An incredibly moist, walnut-studded quick bread from Beard on Bread, lightly spiced with cinnamon.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour two 9x5-inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light, then beat in the sugar and oil until well blended.

Stir in the grated zucchini and vanilla.

1. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined, then stir in the walnuts.
3. Divide the batter between the pans and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from James Beard’s Beard on Bread; his zucchini loaf remains a benchmark for the genre.