I love baking with spelt. It’s higher in protein and fiber than whole wheat, and it has a mild and sweet taste. It can be used in many quick bread recipes to replace white or unbleached flour. No need to squeeze the moisture out of the shredded zucchini for this recipe, because the spelt flour seems to soak it up nicely. This bread is not overly sweet, but plenty sweet for my tastes. You can always add a little more sugar if it isn’t sweet enough for you. Or follow the original King Arthur recipe and add some chocolate chips. For me it had plenty of chocolatey goodness with the cocoa alone.
UPDATE: For muffins, prepare as directed and fill standard size muffin pans almost full, then bake for 30-35 minutes. The muffins and bread both freeze well after baking.
Spelt Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Adapted from a King Arthur recipe [1]
2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use organic canola oil)
1/2 cup brown, raw or coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup natural, baking or Dutch-process cocoa
2 cups whole grain Spelt flour (7 oz)
2 cups shredded zucchini, unpeeled, grated into medium shreds
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla by hand until smooth.
3. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and flour, mixing until just well combined.
4. Stir in the zucchini. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done with a toothpick or cake tester.
6. Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool for 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack.
7. Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.
Servings: 12
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 260 calories, 101 calories from fat, 11.2g total fat, 35.3mg cholesterol, 284.6mg sodium, 103.6mg potassium, 35.2g carbohydrates, 3.9g fiber, 17g sugar, 4.4g protein, 29.7mg calcium, 2.1g saturated fat.