Vegan Zucchini Bread

Following the recipe in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking, we converted the three zucchini received in this week's box into zucchini bread. This was my first attempt at vegan baking, so I was not sure what to expect.

Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 standard loaves.

3T ground flaxseed
1/2c water
1c canola oil
1T white distilled vinegar
2c granulated sugar
2c grated zucchini
2t vanilla extract
3c unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
2t ground cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1t baking soda
1/4t baking powder
1t salt
1/2c chopped walnuts
1/2c raisins

Preheat oven to 325F (170C). Lightly grease two 8x4x2 inch loaf pans.

Combine flaxseed meal and water; whip till thick and creamy. Add oil, vinegar and sugar - mix well. Add zucchini and vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined; do not over mix.

Divide the batter evenly into the loaf pans and bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

Patrick-Goudreau, Colleen. The Joy of Vegan Baking. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press, 2007.

We made a few changes out of necessity. First, we used 1/3 walnut oil and 2/3 sunflower oil as we had no canola on hand. Second, we used less sugar as we did not have the 2 cups required -- it was still very sweet.

Vegan baking was a bit different and did yield slightly different results. First, the batter was a bit gluey, certainly not pourable like other quick breads I've made. I was not sure the recipe would work, but it did -- very well. Second, while the texture of the crumb was just like a 'regular' quick bread, the taste and mouth feel were lighter -- a very pleasant change.