What the words in zucchini bread titles mean

222 English zucchini bread recipes. For every word used in at least 10 of their titles, the recipes that use it against the rest, on every ingredient, in grams per 100 g of flour. 3 words go with a clear difference; 1 others change nothing measurable.

This is what recipe writers do when they pick a word, not proof that an ingredient makes the texture: the numbers show what recipes with the word have in common, and a recipe can earn its word through the method, the pan or the oven instead.

Ingredients, flavors and styles

Words that name something in the recipe or the kind it is. Some differences here are what the word says outright; they show the numbers can be trusted where the answer is known.

“double chocolate”

10 recipes vs 212

Recipes with “double chocolate” in the title: more egg (71% vs 40%); more zucchini (149% vs 85%); more sugar (124% vs 96%).

“double chocolate” (10)the rest (212)middle half of all

Eggrecipes with double chocolate in the title 71% vs the rest 40%
Zucchinirecipes with double chocolate in the title 149% vs the rest 85%
Sugarrecipes with double chocolate in the title 124% vs the rest 96%

For example: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pecans (foodnetwork.com) · Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (thepioneerwoman.com)

“lemon”

23 recipes vs 199

Recipes with “lemon” in the title: most use no spice (91% vs 21%).

“lemon” (23)the rest (199)middle half of all

Spice · share using anyrecipes with lemon in the title 8% vs the rest 78%

For example: Lemon Zucchini Bread (livewellbakeoften.com) · Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread (theviewfromgreatisland.com)

“chocolate”

31 recipes vs 191

Recipes with “chocolate” in the title: more egg (53% vs 40%); more zucchini (122% vs 82%); more fat (70% vs 51%).

“chocolate” (31)the rest (191)middle half of all

Eggrecipes with chocolate in the title 53% vs the rest 40%
Zucchinirecipes with chocolate in the title 122% vs the rest 82%
Fatrecipes with chocolate in the title 70% vs the rest 51%

For example: Chocolate Zucchini Bread (bakingamoment.com) · Chocolate Zucchini Bread (sugarspunrun.com)

Words that change nothing measurable

Recipes with these words in the title use about the same amounts as the rest on every ingredient, within what chance would explain. The number is how many titles use the word.

chocolate chip 16

How the words are tested

Titles are split into words, with two-word names kept whole ("small batch", "cream cheese", "brown butter") and spellings folded together ("crisp" and "crispy"). The dish's own name, words like "the" and "recipe", and any word in half the titles or more are left out. A word needs at least 10 recipes, and there must be 10 without it. English titles only, so a word cannot stand in for a language.

A difference is shown when the medians sit at least a third of the middle half of all these recipes apart (about half a standard deviation, a medium effect) and a rank test puts it at 3 standard errors or more. For an ingredient many recipes skip, the share using none counts too: 25 points apart at the same 3 standard errors. With dozens of words and every ingredient tested, about one chance difference in 370 comparisons would pass, so a lab may show one that is luck; a finding that repeats across labs is unlikely to be.

Shares are rounded down. Each card links two recipes that use the word, nearest its own medians.