This scrumptious Classic Zucchini Bread is nut-free and spiced with cinnamon. With plenty of tips plus a video demonstration, every loaf will be perfect.
If you have zucchini coming out of your ears, make a double batch of this Best Zucchini Bread Recipe and fill the freezer! It’s an easy summer quick bread that’s wonderful for breakfast, brunch, and snacks. Plus it tastes amazing!!!
Why You Must Make
- This is the way I can get my family to eat zucchini!
- Spiced with cinnamon, it’s absolutely delicious.
- Zucchini adds extra moisture making this a tasty, tender, moist loaf.
The hubby prefers his bread to be without vegetables, but that just leaves more for the rest of the family! If you’re new to cooking with zucchini, check out this Ultimate Guide to this versatile vegetable!
- Kitchen Staples – All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon
- Baking Powder – This is not the same as baking soda. Baking powder usually expires before you can use it all so check the expiration date. If you’re unsure if it’s still active, put a spoonful into a cup of hot water. If it’s still viable, it will bubble vigorously.
- Eggs – My recipes call for large eggs unless otherwise noted. For most baking recipes, it’s best to have the eggs at room temperature for easy incorporation.
- Vegetable Oil – Use a neutral oil like canola oil. I don’t recommend olive oil.
- Vanilla Extract – Make sure you use real vanilla extract, not artificially flavored for the tastiest results.
- Grated Zucchini – I use a box grater and grate unpeeled zucchini with the stem end sliced off. Squeeze the grated zucchini to remove most of the moisture. I do this over a colander.
A few simple rules will help you make perfect quick bread every time!
- PRO-Tip: Before you start baking, check the expiration date on your baking powder. Baking powder is not used as frequently as baking soda and often expires well before the can is depleted. Using expired baking powder can prevent your quick bread from rising properly.
- As with most baking, start with room-temperature ingredients. Get the eggs out of the refrigerator for about a half-hour before you plan to start mixing. If you want, you can place them in a bowl of warm water to hurry along the process. Don’t use boiling water or your eggs will cook!
- Generally, you mix all the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients.
- You don’t need to peel your zucchini before shredding. Use a box grater or your food processor to do the work. If you have an extra-large zucchini, remove some of the larger seeds before grating.
- Make sure you squeeze your shredded zucchini until it’s very dry. Otherwise, you’ll have too much liquid in your batter.
- PRO-Tip: Do not over-mix any quick bread recipe or your result will be full of tunnels and your muffins will have peaked versus rounded tops. Do not use a mixer. A wooden spoon or silicone spatula will work just fine.
- Line the bottoms of your bread pan with a rectangle of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Spray the pan and parchment with Baker’s Joy, or a similar product, a non-stick oil and flour spray.
- Do not over-bake. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf or a muffin. If there are wet crumbs when you pull it out, you will need to add more baking time. You want the toothpick to come out clean. Start checking about 10 minutes before the allotted time is up. All ovens bake differently.
- After I successfully bake a loaf, I note the time on the recipe for future reference. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan to a cooling rack.
- Quick bread freezes wonderfully. Just make sure to wrap your cooled bread well (I like wrapping first with plastic wrap, then foil) and use it within 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Zucchini bread will stay fresh at room temperature, in plastic wrap, for 2-3 days as long as it’s not too humid. If the humidity is high, store it in the refrigerator.
This information came to me from our friends at the Prepared Pantry (www.preparedpantry.com). The owner and expert chef, Dennis Weaver, shared a secret that we need to know if we are to bake successfully with grated zucchini:
2. If you use frozen zucchini or if the zucchini has lots of extra water, drain it. If your cookies spread too much, add a little flour or to turn the temperature up.
I still have quite a bit of frozen zucchini hanging around, so I thought I’d try Dennis’ suggestion. I let it thaw, and lots of water all right. I drained it and let the shreds sit a little longer. More water, so I drained it again. Just for drill I let it sit one more time, and sure enough, still more water. After draining this third time I then patted out the rest of the moisture with paper towels and then added it to my batters. I’d thawed enough to make a batch of muffins and a loaf of quick bread. Both recipes turned out well.
starting to brown. Immediately remove the cookies from the sheet to racks to cool. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Alice Osborne Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006 Email the author! [email protected] Please enable JavaScript to view the
Three Easy Methods for Shredding and Squeeze Water from Zucchini
FAQ
Do you squeeze water out of zucchini for bread?
Why is it important to squeeze excess liquid from grated zucchini?
Does zucchini need to be drained before baking?
Does zucchini bread need to be squeezed?
To squeeze or not to squeeze, that is the question. The answer is maybe, maybe not; it depends entirely on what texture you prefer in your zucchini bread. I tested it both ways, all things being equal except I squeezed one and didn’t squeeze the other.
What is the best way to cook zucchini?
One of the healthiest and tastiest ways to cook zucchini is in the oven. They cook more slowly, allowing the spices to penetrate the slices better and making the zucchini more flavorful.
Can You bake zucchini bread with too much water?
The high water content of zucchini can lead to issues when you’re baking zucchini bread. To keep things safe, it’s best to squeeze the zucchini to get rid of excess water. You can squeeze the zucchini over a clean sink or some dish towels. This will make it simple to remove the extra liquid so the zucchini won’t be too juicy.
How do you make zucchini bread that won’t sink?
An easy way to make loaf of moist zucchini bread that won’t sink in the middle! Spray the bottom and sides of an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle of oven. Grate the zucchini and squeeze in hands over sink until excess water is removed.