Grated Zucchini Makes The Moistest Bread
Fortunately, the pathway into my naturally resistant-to-new-foods teenage mind had already been cut with carrot cake. Heck, if you could get something that good out of carrots, why not zucchini? After one bite, I was sold forever. Grated zucchini, mixed into the batter, brings moisture and tender texture to what is essentially a spice cake.
VIDEO: How To Make Zucchini Bread
No Need for a Mixer
This is a favorite, tried-and-true zucchini bread recipe. It couldn’t be easier; you don’t need a mixer! It’s basically our zucchini muffin recipe in a bread form. It’s a standard quick bread recipe that starts with grated zucchini, about 3 to 4 cups of it. It is pretty forgiving. If you use 4 cups, it will result in a more moist and dense bread.
How To Prep Zucchini for the Best Zucchini Bread
Grate the zucchini on a standard box grater. No need to peel! Note that different zucchini can really vary in their moisture content, depending on if they were garden picked in season or store-bought off season. A tip I learned from my grandmother is if I grate zucchini and it is on the dry side, to sprinkle water over it, and then let in drain in a sieve. After grating, place the grated zucchini in a sieve over a bowl to drain any excess moisture while you prep the other ingredients. Walnuts and pecans are especially good in zucchini bread, and so is dried fruit. I like raisins or dried cranberries, but you can also add shredded coconut or a handful of mini chocolate chips. A bit of orange zest would work too, or grated apples or carrots. For a version with crushed pineapple, try my Zucchini Bread with Pineapple recipe.
How To Store and Keep Zucchini Bread
This bread will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for several days. If you would like to freeze it, let it cool down all the way first, wrap it in plastic wrap, and then wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Frozen zucchini bread will taste best if you eat it within 3 months. Thaw it on the countertop, still wrapped, or in a low oven. (More freezing and thawing advice in this post.)
5 More Quick Breads You’ll Love
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread Banana Bread Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Orange Bread Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Flour options: In place of some or all of the all-purpose flour, try whole wheat, gluten-free, or oat flour. One reader commented that she used white spelt flour with great success.Butter alternatives: A couple of readers used Earth Balance (a vegan butter alternative) in place of butter. Some have swapped in applesauce for a portion of the butter. Others replaced some or all of the butter with coconut, olive, or canola oils. Note that when you substitute butter with oil in a baking recipe, use 3/4 the amount of oil as you would butter. Since this recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter, you would substitute it with a little more than 1/2 cup of oil.Sweet swaps: Some readers have swapped brown sugar in place of some of the granulated sugar. Others have used applesauce and honey to reduce the refined sugar.
You can use anywhere from 3 cups to 4 cups of freshly grated zucchini for this recipe; 4 cups will yield a slightly more dense, moist zucchini bread.Don’t pack flour into the cup when you’re measuring it, or your bread will be too dense. Fluff up the flour, scoop into it with a measuring cup, then level it off with a flat knife.
