Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread

My oven is on it's last legs. It's not playing nice. It's been listening to too much Katie Perry "You're hot then you're cold..." It's being as temperamental as a horse. If it were a horse we would be putting it out of it's misery. Which is probably not appropriate given this is an almost vegan recipe. I say almost, because using buttermilk is soooo not vegan!

I love breakfast breads. They seem like a treat for breakfast, you can eat them with a cup of tea in the afternoon and call them - you guessed it - "afternoon tea" and you can have a slice of it at night for "dessert".

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My oven didn't exactly come the the party (too busy having it's own party with Katie Perry I suspect). The bread was a little over done on the top and a little under done in the middle. But it still tastes good and will be making appearances throughout the day and night in our house. (BTW - new oven arriving in about a week - I hope!)



Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread
from Joy the Baker

makes one 20x10 or 23x12-cm loaf pan

3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bi-carb
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
3 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (or, if you want to be vegan, soy milk or water, just add about 1/8 teaspoon vinegar as well)
1 cup vegetable oil (I used organic safflower)
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 brown sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Put the oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour your loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, bi-carb, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together flax seed meal, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla and sugars. Whisk together until fully mixed, and add the zucchini and nuts (if using).
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with spatula. Make sure all of the flour is mixed in well. Pour batter into the loaf pan and place in oven. Bake for approx. 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.