Tis’ the season in Baltimore where there are three farmers markets open near me on all different days of the week. My kitchen is like a machine right now. There is no better place for me to draw inspiration from. I love to support local farmers, and the produce is always so much easier to work with because it is at its best. Also, food trucks.
When I bought this adorable little squash I didn’t even know what they were. I asked the farmer at the stand what they tasted like, but forgot to actually ask her what they were called! Luckily my following on instagram knew exactly what they were, patty pan squash! I had seen a variety of these during my time as a greasy line cook, but they were always the size of half dollars and bright yellow. The more you know. Oh, and they also go by “white bush scallop”, which is not nearly as endearing as patty pan squash so I’m going to go ahead and leave that out of my title. When I tasted the squash, I noticed it was crisp and almost lightly sweet. It’s similar in texture to a zucchini but with no seeds. ALAS I knew it was perfect for a quick bread!
During my time as a culinary intern I had this one incorrigible boss. She was clearly hardened by the industry, but didn’t take a moment to realize she was in a cushy office job now. There was no need to work so hard that you don’t stop for lunch OR dinner after a 12 hour day. Those were some of the hungriest days of my life. Despite her being generally miserable, she did make a mean banana bread. She insisted that it was all about the toppings. She brought in her grandma’s recipe once and oh my goodness was she right. Putting chocolate chips in the bread itself kind of funks up the texture. Its best to just add them to the top so you can have a crunchy, sweet topping and soft and fluffy inside. It’s so much more interesting to eat this way. So here we are, with a perfect loaf of quick bread, that came out on my first try CAN I GET A HECK YEA!?
This recipe is:
Easy
Lightly sweet
Fluffy
Texturally perfect
Patty Pan Bread
This quick and easy loaf bread is so moist and lightly sweet. Feel free to substitute zucchini, or any other summer squash for the patty pan!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded patty pan squash, or other summer squash
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 325F
- Step 2 Mix together the sugars, apple sauce, and olive oil in a medium bowl
- Step 3 Reserve 1/4 cup of the walnuts and 1/4 cup chocolate chips for the topping
- Step 4 Gently fold in the rest of the ingredients with a rubber spatula and pour into a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Leave a lip on the parchment paper so you can easily lift the loaf from the pan when it is done baking. (see image above)
- Step 5 Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts and chocolate chips
- Step 6 Bake for 30 minutes, let rest for 5, then slice and serve.
