Zucchini Pineapple Bread
Although we're not a huge fan of veggies, zucchini is such a comfort food of sorts for us. Our grandfather passed away when we were 5 years old, and although we were young we were still old enough at that point to have some great memories of him. One is of him bouncing us on his knee and singing a little ditty to us in Italian. Another is of him and our uncle taking our cousin and we to the local park to fish and feed the ducks. Among some others, our absolute favorite memories are of him in his garden. He had a sprawling garden and grew countless vegetables: among those we remember are at least five different varieties of lettuce, spinach, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, squash, and every type of herb you can imagine. We used to “help” in the garden by putting one of our baby feet on his shovel when he was digging. We can vividly recall our mom and grandma going out to pick beans, tomatoes, and lettuce; when they came back in the kitchen would be dancing with the smell of fresh garden produce. Such an memorable smell! Now, as anyone who grows zucchini knows, once it gets going, you have zucchini coming out of your ears! Our grandma has a stash of zucchini recipes in her collection that took full advantage of the garden bounty, and this is one of our absolute favorites.
As most zucchini breads are, this one is extremely plush, thanks to the combination of zucchini and the pineapple. And it’s a fabulous flavor combination as well! In addition to the pineapple, there are also chopped dates and walnuts in this bread. We love, love, love dates so that automatically makes this bread one of our favorites. When we were younger we loved to eat a slice of it slathered with cream cheese. Breakfast of champions!
Although we didn’t know him for long, we think our grandfather would be proud of the interest we have taken in gardening (even if it is only containers at this point), and the love we have for enjoying truly good food. We wish he were still here so we could hang out in the garden together!
P.S. If you happened to see the Date, Rum & Pecan Ice Cream and are interested in making it, one bag of Dole dates just so happens to be the reliable amount for the ice cream and this bread :)
One year ago: Rocky Road Ice Cream
Two years ago: Italian Supreme Calzones
Three years ago: Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Zucchini Pineapple Bread
Yield: 20 servings (Two 9x5-inch loaves) As most zucchini breads are, this one is extremely plush, thanks to the combination of zucchini and the pineapple. And it's a fabulous flavor combination as well!- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (218 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (248 g) shredded zucchini, drained and water squeezed out
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) canned crushed pineapple, well drained
- 1 cup (147 g) chopped dates
- 1 cup (117 g) chopped walnuts
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9x5-inch loaf pans; set aside.
- 2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder; set aside.
- 3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract until thick and combined (we used a hand mixer on medium speed, you could also use a whisk with a lot of elbow grease). Add the flour mixture and mix on low (or with a wooden spoon) until combined - the batter will be thick. Using a spoon, gently stir in the zucchini and pineapple until evenly distributed. Lastly, stir in the chopped dates and walnuts.
- 4. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden brown and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you see the loaves are browning too much, cover with foil.)
- 5. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to finish cooling completely.
- Yield: 20 servings (Two 9x5-inch loaves)
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 1 hour
- Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups ( 375 g ) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ( 1.5 teaspoons ) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) baking powder
- 2 cups ( 400 g ) granulated sugar
- 1 cup ( 218 ml ) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups ( 248 g ) shredded zucchini, drained and water squeezed out
- 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) canned crushed pineapple, well drained
- 1 cup ( 147 g ) chopped dates
- 1 cup ( 117 g ) chopped walnuts
Method
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9x5-inch loaf pans; set aside.
- 2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder; set aside.
- 3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract until thick and combined (we used a hand mixer on medium speed, you could also use a whisk with a lot of elbow grease). Add the flour mixture and mix on low (or with a wooden spoon) until combined - the batter will be thick. Using a spoon, gently stir in the zucchini and pineapple until evenly distributed. Lastly, stir in the chopped dates and walnuts.
- 4. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden brown and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you see the loaves are browning too much, cover with foil.)
- 5. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to finish cooling completely.
