Betty Crocker’s Famous Zucchini Bread Recipe

Here’s how the story goes. About twenty years ago, I bumped into Laura on a college campus and met her for the very first time. I said, “Hello.” She said, “Hi. Here’s a zucchini bread.” The rest is history.

Laura has been using her Betty Crocker recipe to make the best zucchini bread I have ever tasted since the moment I met her. Actually, I should say before I met her. It seems like forever. And so far this year, since we had a bumper crop of zucchini in the back yard, she’s already made quite a few, which is fine with me.

A few days ago, I sat and witnessed her roll up her sleeves and head toward the kitchen. I knew what she was about to do, so I stopped her and asked why we weren’t taking photos of the process to share on this site. She had no reason, so I grabbed my camera and helped her go about putting all the ingredients together. Of course, she led the way, but I was close by watching and learning. Zucchini bread is a very simple bread to prepare. It really only takes a few steps.

The Recipe

This recipe calls for the necessary ingredients to prepare the zucchini bread you’ve come to know and love. There’s nothing extravagant here. The resulting bread is soft and moist with tons of flavor and texture. We’ve been eating pieces for dessert ever since our zucchinis began to ripen in the garden this summer. It doesn’t take long to prep and combine the ingredients and once you add the pans to the oven, all you need to do is wait. An hour later, you’ll be enjoying something very delicious.

Ingredients

Makes: 2 Loaves

Butter for Greasing Pans
3 Cups Shredded Zucchini
1 2/3 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
4 Large Eggs
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/2 Cup Raisins

Step-by-Step Instructions

I pulled this recipe from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook – Everything You Need to Know to Cook. The book is in binder format and we’ve had it forever. Thank you Betty Crocker, even if you are only a fictional character.

Pre-Heat Oven

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Move one rack to bottom position. Also, grease two pans that measure 8 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches, or the equivalent, with the butter.

Shred the Zucchini

We’re very proud of our zucchini shredding capabilities around here, so we show it off whenever we can. To get three cups worth, you’ll need about 3 medium sized zucchinis. Here’s what they look like after they’re shredded into a large bowl.

Combine Ingredients & Mix

To the large bowl the zucchini is in, add the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.

Then, add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together well.

Add to Pans & Bake

Divide the mixture evenly between the two greased pans.

After that, add both pans to the bottom rack of the oven and bake between 50 and 60 minutes. Around this time, test the bread with a toothpick. Stick it in the middle and pull it out. If the toothpick is clean, the bread is finished cooking. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool. When cool, hold each pan upside down and let the bread fall into your hand. Slice and serve.

The Final Bread

I took a photo of the sliced bread to give you an idea of the texture. I’d say it’s perfect and the bread is awesome.