Whole-Wheat Zucchini Bread

This simple zucchini bread recipe is a great way to use up your summer bumper crop of zucchini. Try it with toasted walnuts or raisins, or add chocolate chips for a more dessertlike bread. Freeze 2-cup portions of shredded zucchini so you can make zucchini bread all year long.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup low-fat milk
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips(optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in zucchini. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl; stir in the wet ingredients and chocolate chips (if using) until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
• Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Tips

• White whole-wheat flour is made from hard white wheat berries, which makes it lighter in color and flavor than regular whole-wheat flour, but with the same nutritional properties. For the best flavor, store it airtight in the freezer.
• Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• 9-by-5-inch loaf pan