Zucchini bread
Zucchini bread is how Americans make good use of the bumper zucchini crop every summer, turning a mild vegetable into a sweet, cinnamon-scented loaf. The grated zucchini melts into the crumb until you can barely tell it is there, yet it keeps the bread moist and much lighter than a butter pound cake. The tiny flecks of green in every slice make it as pretty as it is delicious.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rising or chilling
- 30 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 50 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Batter
Walnut mix-in
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 175°C and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, brushing a thin layer of oil on the two ends of the pan that the paper does not cover. A well-prepared pan keeps the moist loaf from sticking to the sides. The oven is ready once it has preheated for a full fifteen minutes.
Step 2
Wash 250 g zucchini, trim off the ends and grate it on the small holes of a grater, leaving the skin on. Set the grated zucchini on a clean towel and squeeze gently to remove some of the water, just lightly rather than wringing it dry. The zucchini is ready when the shreds are still moist but no longer drip when squeezed.
Step 3
Whisk 100 g eggs with 100 g granulated sugar and 100 g brown sugar, then add 120 g vegetable oil, 8 g vanilla extract and the grated zucchini and stir well. Mixing the zucchini into the wet ingredients separates the shreds and spreads them evenly throughout the loaf. The mixture is ready when the sugar has almost dissolved and the zucchini is no longer clumped together.
Step 4
Sift 250 g all-purpose flour, 4 g baking soda, 3 g baking powder, 3 g salt, 4 g ground cinnamon and 1 g ground nutmeg into the bowl and fold gently with a flat spatula. Mixing only as much as needed keeps the crumb tender and avoids long tunnels inside. The batter is ready when no dry flour remains, it is thick and green shreds are scattered evenly through it.
Step 5
Add 60 g chopped walnuts to the batter, fold a few more times, then pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. The walnuts add a nutty crunch that contrasts with the soft, moist crumb. You are done when the batter lies level in the pan with the nuts evenly scattered.
Step 6
Bake at 175°C for 55 to 65 minutes, laying a loose sheet of foil over the top if it browns too quickly. Zucchini holds a lot of water, so the loaf needs to bake long enough that the center is not wet. It is done when the cracked top is golden brown, springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer comes out dry.
Step 7
Let the loaf rest in the pan for about fifteen minutes, then lift it onto a rack and wait another fifteen minutes before slicing. The steam inside the crumb needs time to settle so the slices do not turn gummy. The bread is ready when the slices are smooth and the crumb is moist but not wet.
Equipment
- Oven
- Loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Kitchen scale
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Choose small to medium zucchini, which have fewer seeds and less water than large ones, for a better loaf.
- You can replace half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor and more fiber.
- Adding grated lemon zest to the wet ingredients gives the bread a fresh fragrance that is lovely on hot days.
Storage
Tightly wrapped, the bread keeps for two days at room temperature and about five days in the fridge, since the zucchini makes it moist. You can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices for up to three months.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The bottom of the loaf is wet and dense.
- The zucchini still held too much water. Next time, squeeze the zucchini a little more thoroughly and test for doneness with a skewer in the very center of the loaf.
- The walnuts sink to the bottom.
- The batter was too loose, so the heavy nuts sank. Toss the nuts in a little flour before folding them in and squeeze more water out of the zucchini.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
