Take some fresh zucchini, grate it and you are well on your way to make a scrumptious loaf of my Summer Zucchini Bread!
Recipe updated [7/5/18]. Original recipe from 9/23/15.
Oh zucchini… that beautiful versatile insanely fast growing glorious summer veggie. The hubs and I have planted zucchini the last 2 years and learned a few important things:
- It’s easy to grow and requires little maintenance.
- You should water the base of the plant not the leaves, as they will grow mildew.
- Zucchini plants spreads out a lot and take up a ton of space. Learned this the hard way when our monster zucchini plant took over our green beans and peppers!
- If you don’t pick them at the right time, they will get HUGE!
The last bullet is an important. Case and point below:
After a week away, I came home to this monstrosity! A zucchini so big, it rivaled an infant in length and weight! With a zucchini so big, you need to be selective on how you use it. These overgrown zucchinis tend to have a tough outer skin and lots of mushy seeds on the inside that aren’t the most appetizing. Instead opt for a recipe that cooks the zucchini down big time. Or better yet, bake with it. I went the baking route 😀
As an ode to one of the best summers of my life (courtesy of miss Poppy seed), I give you the best green freckled, super moist and freaken delicious zucchini bread.
Yields 1 loaf of zucchini bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (any kind will work)
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar to sprinkle over top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a traditional 9 x 5in loaf pan.
- Mix brown sugar, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour into the liquid ingredients. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the zucchini.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing it if necessary. Sprinkle with brown sugar over the top.
- Bake the bread for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
Bread will keep at room temperature for 4-5 days. Otherwise freeze break wrapped in foil and in a Ziploc bag for up to 2 months. If you are using a large overgrown zucchini like I did, peel it and seed it before shredding. This will ensure you don’t end up with mushy bread with tough pieces of skin. Also when shredding, I would highly encourage you to use a food processor if you have one. The larger food processors have a special blade attachment that allows you to quickly shred anything! Trust me this is a lifesaver when you have a lot to shred. If you do not have a food processor, no problem! Simply shred by hand and work on those arm muscles at the same time.
Adapted from King Arthur’s Flour.
Originally posted 2018-07-05 06:52:36.
Jason says