Cucuzza Spice Bread
as prepared by Chef Chris Shepley of The Vintage House Restaurant at Messina Hof Winery
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Messina Hof Sophia Marie Rose'
- 2 cups cucuza squash peeled & grated
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Grease and flour two bread pans. Preheat oven to 325.
- Preheat oven to 325. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, wine and sugar together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Fold in the squash and nuts.
- Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 40-60 minutes till toothpick inserted in center comes out dry and clean remove the bread from pans and cool.
- Wrap and freeze or serve with a whipped honey butter.
Notes
*You can substitute zucchini for cucuzza in both of these recipes. In experimenting, I found that the cucuzza has more moisture than zucchini and creates a better texture in these recipes.
Executive Chef Chris Shepley of The Vintage House Restaurant features vineyard cuisine and locally grown fresh from the garden produce in his recipes. He conducts Cooking Parties with the Chef on the third Sunday of each month at Messina Hof Winery.