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Have a recipe that calls for an ingredient you don't
have, and need a substitution pronto? Want to know why that cherry
pie you labored over has a soggier bottom than, well, Soggy Bottom?
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You've come to the right place, my friend. If you've
got a question about the kitchen or anything related to it,
write me about it and I'll post the answer here.
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Q: Dear Chef Sal,
I made zucchini bread
with all my leftover zucchini from the garden. For some reason it
doesn't rise like my mom's does. It was really dense. What went
wrong?
A: Sounds like a problem with the leavening. Like a
lot of quickbreads, zucchini bread gets its loft and rise from
baking powder and baking soda. Both react with liquid and sometimes
heat, depending on the type of baking powder. If the batter doesn't
hit the oven soon after it's mixed, it loses some potential rise.
The longer it sits, the denser the end product.
Also beware of overmixing, which builds gluten,
resulting in a dense texture, which you don't want in zucchini
bread.
Thanks for writing,
Chef Sal
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