Making Zucchini Bread at Home

If you have zucchini coming out your ears, and neighbors and coworkers won't take any more of the squash, making zucchini bread is a way to use the squash, and few people tire of it!  You can even freeze it to enjoy in the winter! This recipe is so easy, ANYONE can do this!  It's a great thing to do with your kids!

If you want to make bread and butter zucchini pickles, see this page instead.

 

And if you want to make zucchini pasta, here's a machine for that.

 

 

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Yield: 1 nine-inch loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 lb prepared fresh zucchini, washed and dried, with the ends removed. see step 2 for details.
• 3/4 cup sugar or 1 cup of honey or 1/2 cup agave (diabetics may want to use 3/4 cup Splenda (or about 1/3 that if you use Stevia, which is my preference) instead)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar - optional
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt (vanilla will do, if you don't have plain)
• 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons (about 3/4 of a stick) butter or margarine.

Directions

Step 1 - Get the oven heating up

Check that your oven is empty (except for the racks, of course) and turn it on to 375 F.

Step 2 - Prepare the Zukes

Wash the zucchini under cold water, cut off both ends (about 1/4 inch). Cut lengthwise and if there are seeds, scoop them out and discard them.  You only want the "meat" of the zucchini, not the spongy interior or seeds.  Of course, if you use young zucchini, there won't be a problem with seeds or a spongy interior, and you can use everything except the ends. Cut the zucchini into pieces that you can handle with a hand grater, or be lazy like me, and use your food processor to coarsely grate the zucchini! (Like making cole slaw)

Step 3 - Grease a loaf pan

Lube up a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan (just like you would for meatloaf) with a butter, margarine or shortening, or spray with a vegetable spray, like PAM. Dust the interior with flour and tap out the excess.

Step 4 - Drain and mix

Drain off any liquids from the zucchini (up to 30 minutes... I usually let it sit for 5 minutes), then mix in the 2 tablespoons of sugar (yes, you could use honey instead).  Then squeeze the zucchini in paper towels to blot up any remaining free liquids.

Step 5 - Add more ingredients

In a large bowl, mix the grated zucchini with the

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Step 6 - In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients

Mix together:

• 3/4 cup sugar or 1 cup of honey or 1/2 cup agave (diabetics may want to use 3/4 cup Splenda (or about 1/3 that if you use Stevia, which is my preference) instead)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar - optional
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt (vanilla will do, if you don't have plain)
• 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons (about 3/4 of a stick) butter or margarine.

Step 7 - Mix everything together

Mix the zucchini mix from step 5 with the mix from step 6! Pour (or plop) into the loaf pan!

Step 8 - Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes.

Pop it into the oven (uncovered) and bake at 375 F until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. It's a good idea to rotate the pan 180 degrees after 30 minutes, to ensure even cooking.  Cool for 10 50 15 minutes on a rack... and eat!

The loaves will keep several days in the fridge!

You can also wrap the cooled loafs in plastic wrap, the either aluminum foil or a plastic bag and freeze!