Ah, zucchini. The vegetable you love to hate, or hate to love. Which is it?

They are such prolific little buggers. I know, my dad grows them every summer. Correction: My dad grows too many of them every summer. Thankfully, my mom has been picking them while they are small-er, instead of the gargantuan things that Dad drops on my doorstep.

Truly, though, I love cooking with zucchini. I love adding grated zucchini to soups. I love grilling it, tossing it on pizza. I love baking with it. Good thing, too, ’cause those are prolific little buggers.

Recently, I had a wealth of zucchini from my dad’s garden and I baked up a big batch of bread. A food processor is very handy for this sort of thing.

This recipe makes four good sized loaves. Feel free to stir in chopped nuts or chocolate chips, or both. Eat one and freeze the rest so that you can grab a loaf and go enjoy. See that cute little girl, she’s racing for it. You’ll want to, too.

Bulk Batch Zucchini Bread

3 cups oil
9 eggs, beaten
5 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla
9 cups unbleached flour (can include some whole wheat pastry flour)
6 cups grated zucchini
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or a combination

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray four bread loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. In large mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in flour, zucchini, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuts and chocolate chips. Stir until just mixed. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To freeze: Once cool, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag. Remove excess air and freeze. Can also be sliced before freezing.

For more Zucchini Inspiration, visit my friend Amy who rounded up a huge quantity of Zucchini recipes last summer.

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