So here I sit, with a baby wrapped onto my chest. This is how I spend mornings now: holding, soothing, nurturing, and attempting to feed both of us. The demands of a newborn have made my life feel both miraculous and simple. I am more grateful for this gift each day.
Lucy is three weeks old. Last night, while I nursed, I watched our birth video and remembered, yet again, the moments that brought her into this world. She’s a good baby. She cries when she’s hungry and only occasionally fusses when we put her down in her bassinet. She’s almost ten pounds, and her doctor says she’s growing well. We spend our days singing to her, telling her stories, walking with her, and bringing her to the people we call family and friends.
Yesterday afternoon, after a day of drenching rain, I made a batch of lemon zucchini bread. Lucy watched me as I moved throughout the kitchen, her bright eyes drawn to the sunlight finally peaking out from behind the clouds. She drifted off to sleep and began crying only five minutes after I had put the loaves into the oven. Her timing is quite often perfect.
And so I nursed her as I waited for the loaves to finish. The sweet smell of rising bread filled my house as I held my daughter (unbelievable still!) to my chest.
These lemon zucchini loaves are moist and flavorful. Packed with zucchini, they are summer at its best.
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
2 small zucchini, shredded
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater and drain by squeezing the zucchini between several layers of paper towels.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until fully incorporated. Set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and melted butter in a 2-cup glass measure until combined. Set aside.
Stir the zucchini and the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least one hour before serving. (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
