The past few days have been pretty stressful due to the COVID-19 situation. It is hard to know how to respond, how to carry on with normal day-to-day tasks when everything feels so unsure right now. As some of you may know, I work in the food industry at a wonderful bakery that is near and dear to my heart. It is a scary time out there for small businesses like this – so be kind to your local spots, and check in on your friends that work in the foodservice industry. We’re all trying our best to be safe, supportive, and stay afloat.
Baking, for me, has always been about bringing joy and comfort to those around me. I think we could all use some comfort right about now – so I have a little taste of home for you made with pantry staples and fresh or frozen zucchini. This recipe is quick and easy, and so delicious. My mom has a pretty big garden at her house, (and hopefully, we will as well once Taylor and I buy our first home), and she always seems to have a surplus of zucchini on hand. She pawned off a few frozen bags of shredded zucchini on me a few months ago – so I figured now would be the perfect time to use those up.
If you are using frozen shredded zucchini, be sure to allow them to thaw completely and drain excess liquid before making this recipe. I like to start by sifting together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs. Once that is combined, add the shredded zucchini and all the dry ingredients. Mix until it has come together, and you don’t see any pockets of dry ingredients left. This batter is pretty thick so I like to do this with a wooden spoon and a silicone spatula instead of a mixer, but you can certainly use a stand mixer if you would like.
Once your batter is mixed together, pour it into 2 – 8×4 loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray or greased. I like to make 1 loaf pan, and a bunch of muffins, but you do whatever makes your heart happy. Once these are baked they do freeze well – so you can always save some for later!
Bake your loaves of zucchini bread in a 325-degree oven for 25 minutes. Rotate your pans, and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until the bread is nice and golden and the top bounces back when you gently press on it. Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove from the pans and cool completely before you cut into them. If you would like to bake muffins instead: bake at 325-degrees for 15 minutes. Rotate muffin pans and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until muffin tops bounce back when you gently press on them.
Recipe
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Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 1/4 cup Sugar
- 3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Zucchini – shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325-degrees. Spray or grease 2 – 8×4 loaf pans, set aside.
- Shred or grate your zucchini, set aside. If you are using frozen shredded zucchini be sure to thaw completely and drain any excess liquid.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil, and both sugars.
- Fold dry ingredients and zucchini into the wet ingredients. Mix until throughly combined and you no longer see any clumps of dry ingredients left. This will be a thick batter.
- Split batter between your 2 prepared loaf pans. (Or scoop into lined muffin tins.)
- Bake loaves at 325-degrees for 25 minutes. Rotate the pans, and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the tops of the loaves are golden brown and bounce back when gently pressed on.
- Allow loaves to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely before you attempt to slice them.
Keywords: Quick Bread, Zucchini, Bread, Cinnamon, Loaf, Breakfast, Brunch, Vegetable