My children humble me on an almost daily basis. Case in point: my son told me this past weekend, “I really love zucchini.” Me, being the humble person I am, thought, “Well, clearly I’m an amazing mother. He loves vegetables and has a love of healthy food. He takes after me.” Come to find out, he loves zucchini only when it’s baked in zucchini bread. So, he’s all his Daddy.
No matter. I’m going to take credit for his even knowing what zucchini bread is. This bread is a great way to introduce your picky eaters to vegetables. Because zucchini bread is on the sweeter side and has smaller pieces of zucchini, kids are more likely to try it than they would, say, a plate of sliced zucchini. In other words, it’s less intimidating to a picky eater.
This recipe is very freezer-friendly, as well. Slice and wrap your cooled loaf and you’ll have a ready-made breakfast option in the freezer that’s good for up to six months.
Ingredients you’ll need for Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread is a quick bread, which means it doesn’t require a lot of time to develop the dough. So, no rising dough or long mixing times. Since quick breads- like muffins and cornbread- can be prepared quickly, they are great for breakfast.
Two zucchini, eggs, vegetable oil, all-purpose flour, a lemon, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and ginger, and a pinch of salt are all you need to prepare this bread. You’ll also need a 9″x5″3″ bread pan to bake the bread in.
Combine the dry ingredients
Because we want a bread that is tender, we need to, first, mix the dry and wet ingredients together separately. After doing so, we’re going to add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix the batter the least amount of time possible.
So, as with my other quick bread recipes, combine the dry ingredients together first. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ginger. Set this bowl aside.
Achieving a balanced zucchini bread
Maybe this sounds a bit picky, but I have an aversion to big chunks of vegetables in my breakfast bread. As a result of my “issues”, I opt for finely grating my veggies. With a finer grater, you obtain ribbon-like pieces of zucchini for your bread, which also means a balanced bread after baking. The non-identifiable pieces of zucchini are great for tricking kids into eating their veggies. I mean, if it works on my husband it’ll work on anyone.
After you’ve grated both zucchini, use the same grater to zest your lemon. Lemon zest brightens up the flavor of the zucchini bread.
Finish mixing the wet ingredients
The zucchini and lemon zest are in what will be considered your “wet ingredients bowl”.
To finish the wet mix: add the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and oil to the zucchini and lemon zest. Whisk everything together until it runs smooth.
Important note about mixing
One of the biggest mistakes people make when mixing quick breads is mixing it too much and for too long. Over-mixing leads to a tough zucchini bread that is riddled with large holes, this is also known as “tunneling”.
Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry and stir only until the flour is absorbed. That’s it! No more.
Mix-ins
If you’re in the mood to switch up your zucchini bread, now is the time. Some things you can gently fold into the bread at this point are:
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Remember, fold them in gently and just until they’re incorporated!
Bake the Zucchini Bread
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into a greased and floured 9″x 5″ x 3″ bread pan. Bake the bread for an hour and 15 minutes, or until the loaf springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool, then slice and enjoy!
Once the bread has finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for five minutes. This allows the bread to begin firming up before you remove it from the pan.
After five minutes, remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. You can also let it cool completely prior to slicing.
When you’re ready to get at it, use a serrated bread knife to slice your bread.
Enjoy your zucchini bread now or wrap the sliced loaf in a couple of layers of plastic wrap to freeze. To maintain the bread’s freshness while it’s frozen, I put the wrapped loaf in a freezer food storage bag. Baked zucchini bread can be frozen for 6 months and still taste amazing.
Are you a fan of vegetables? How about in breads like this zucchini bread? Even if you’re not a fan of veggies, I hope you’ll give this recipe a whirl.
Pin it for later and be sure to share the recipe with your friends and family!
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Zucchini Bread
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- 9x5x3" loaf pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups finely grated zucchini
- 1 lemon, zested
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cups vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Stir-Ins
- 1 cup fresh or thawed, frozen blueberries
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (170°C). Lightly grease and flour (or spray with baking spray) a 9"x5"x3" bread loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ginger, then set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the zucchini, lemon zest, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture runs smooth.
- Pour the contents of the wet ingredients bowl into the dry mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently mix the batter. Be careful not to over-mix your batter- stir just until the flour is absorbed.If you're adding any of the mix-ins gently fold them in with the flour.
- Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the loaf springs back when pressed, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling the bread on a cooling rack.
- When you're ready to enjoy the bread, use a serrated bread knife to slice your loaf.Store leftovers in an airtight container or wrap the bread in a layer of plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Enjoy within 48 hours of baking.
Notes
Nutrition
Here are more quick breads I think you’ll enjoy:
Irish Soda Bread
Caramelized Citrus-Topped
Ginger Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This looks so amazing and the courgette makes it healthier! Can’t wait to try it.
Enjoy!
I’ve never tried anything Zucchini but this looks scrumptious!! And I love that your recipe really breaks the steps down and make it seem so doable!
It really is doable. I hope you give it a go.