Easy Zucchini Bread
- PREP 30min
- COOK 45min
- TOTAL 1hrs 15min
I absolutely love this zucchini bread recipe! It’s light, moist, and incredibly tender. Thanks to my simple trick of tossing the zucchini with a bit of sugar beforehand, you’ll enjoy perfectly moist bread without any soggy spots. For this easy recipe, feel free to use green zucchini, yellow zucchini, or even summer squash.
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for zucchini
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract, optional
2/3 cup (65g) sliced almonds, optional
Directions
Center a rack in the oven and heat to 375ºF (190ºC). Butter an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan and dust it with flour. You can also butter and line it with parchment paper (leaving an inch or two hanging over two sides makes it easy to remove after baking).
Trim the stem ends of the zucchini, then grate using the largest holes on a box grater or the largest grating disk from a food processor.
Transfer the grated zucchini to a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon sugar. Rest the colander over a bowl to catch the excess liquid that drains from the zucchini. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Melt the butter in a medium bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each egg. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Squeeze the zucchini by hand to thoroughly wring out any excess moisture, then fluff it up a little so it is not in big clumps. (Discard the liquid.) Stir the zucchini into the wet ingredients.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring between each addition. Stir in almonds (I like to save a handful of almonds to sprinkle on the tops of the zucchini loaf before baking).
Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Scatter the reserved almonds over the top, then bake until a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 45 to 65 minutes.
After 35 minutes in the oven, check the bread and almonds for color. If browning too quickly, loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil.
Cool the zucchini bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it onto the rack to finish cooling.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Place into an airtight container and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Baking tip: Place the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on top of two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. This helps even baking and makes getting the loaf pan into and out of the oven easy.
- Make banana zucchini bread: Add 1 very ripe banana to the wet ingredients before mixing with the dry ingredients. Heavily speckled or even black bananas are best.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.