How to Make Zucchini Bread

How to Make Zucchini Bread. Making Zucchini Bread is a great way to use up the abundance of summer squash in your garden. This bread is one of my favorites. It is a simple recipe that is sure to please everyone you serve it to. Have it for breakfast, brunch as a dessert.

How to Make Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is one of the most popular desserts in the United States, but many people don't know how to make it. The best zucchini breads are moist and flavorful with just the right amount of crunchy grated zucchini. It should be sweet but not too overly so-that's where appropriate levels of spice come in. With this recipe, you will know how to make a perfect loaf every time!

This is a special recipe to me. My grandmother and grandfather had a huge garden when I was growing up and of course they grew zucchini. My grandmother would make this bread every year. It works great as a gift. Make it in mini loaves to gives it out to everyone you know.

What is Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is a very versatile quick bread. It can be eaten as a breakfast item with coffee or tea, but it's also wonderful for an afternoon snack or dessert. You can serve it at room temperature, or warm. It has a touch of sweetness but this bread doesn't taste like a dessert, even though many people eat it as one. If you wanted it to be a bit sweeter, you can also make a powdered sugar glaze or cream cheese glaze to pour over top.

Benefits of Zucchini Bread

 This bread is filled with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The added vegetables make it a perfect way to get your kids to eat more veggies. Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamin C Vitamin C is needed for the growth and repair of tissues in the body, as well as for the production of collagen. This helps strengthen bones and teeth. It's also great for the maintenance of skin, mucus membranes and gums. Additionally, vitamin C contributes to healing wounds, as well as maintain bone strength.

Is Zucchini Bread Healthy

Zucchini bread isn't exactly healthy, although it isn't not good for you either. It is made with oil and sugar, which is considered unhealthy in most diets but it is packed with vegetables. Zucchini bread may also be a good way to get your kids to eat more vegetables. The added vegetables make it a perfect way to get your kids to eat more veggies. Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamin C and might therefore be considered healthy or beneficial for you if that's your goal. Finally, zucchini bread provides protein and can also help with hydration, thanks to the water content in zucchini.

Overall, zucchini bread might not be considered healthy but it certainly a food that you don't have to feel bad about eating and enjoying.

How to Store Zucchini Bread

If you do not plan on eating this bread right away, then you should store the unused portions in an airtight container at room temperature. The bread needs to be protected from the air, so keep it in the container, or better yet, wrap it well in plastic wrap so it does not dry out.

Does Zucchini bread need to be refrigerated?

Zucchini bread does not need to be refrigerated. This is because you first bake the bread and then let it sit out for a while to cool. Once the bread has cooled, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature.

How to Freeze Zucchini Bread

You can easily freeze zucchini bread of for up to 6 months. You can freeze the bread as a whole loaf or you can slice it into individual slices and freeze each one. Wrap the bread, either by the load or by the slice, in plastic wrap. Then place it in the freezer. If you are freezing it by the slice, you will want to place the slices in a freezer bag or container to help keep them together in the freezer.

How to Thaw Frozen Zucchini Bread

When you are ready thaw the. zucchini bread, you can simply remove it from the freezer. You will want to remove the plastic wrap that you have frozen it in so that the condensation does not cause the bread to get soggy.

How Long Does Zucchini Bread Last

This bread will stay fresh for up to five days if it is kept in storage properly. If it is not stored properly, it will dry out and get stale sooner.

Can This Bread Be Made Ahead of Time

This is a perfect bread to make ahead of time and have ready to eat for breakfast throughout the week. It can also be an ideal item to bring to a party or picnic as a side-dish or dessert. Since this bread will last for about 5 to 7 days, so you can make it and then eat it all week. You can also freeze it in slices so you can take out a slice at a time.

How to Prepare Zucchini for Bread

You want to make sure to wash and dry the zucchinis before you start to work with them. Then you will need to shred the zucchini to get it ready for the bread.

Do you Peel Zucchini for Bread

You can leave the zucchini unpeeled for this recipe. While many people elect to peel it, it is not necessary for a great tasting and healthy bread. The peel does contain a lot of nutrients, but you will still get plenty in the bread even if you do not take off the skin. If you are concerned with the peels being hard and untasty in the bread, you will not notice them when you are eating it and the peels do add a bit of color to the bread.

How to Grate zucchini for bread

If you are wondering how to shred zucchini for bread, it is incredible simple. There are food processors that will shred the zucchini for you. You can also grate the vegetable by using a box grater. You can also use a regular food processor but you want to make sure you do not over process it and turn it to mush.

Can I Freeze Shredded Zucchini for Bread

You can freeze zucchini that you have shredded for this bread recipe. Shred the zucchini and then place it in a freezer bag. Once you are ready to use the shredded zucchini, you will remove it from the freezer and let it thaw. Place it on a paper towel or in a strainer to remove the excess moisture from freezing it. Then you will use it like normal.

How Much Zucchini in Zucchini Bread

For this recipe you are going to use 2 cups of zucchini. You will need about 2 and a half medium zucchini in order to get your 2 cups of grated zucchini.

Everything You Need to Know for Making Moist Zucchini Bread

Making this zucchini bread is extremely easy. Here are some tips, trick and FAQs for making the best bread using zucchini.

Why is My Zucchini Bread Dry?

There a couple of reasons that your bread can come out dry. It could be the way you are baking it or you may not have added enough moisture. To ensure that your bread is moist, make sure to use a glass mixing bowl and don't over mix the batter.

You also want to make sure that you do not over bake the bread. Whenever you over bake the bread it will be come dries out.

Also, make sure the bread is stored properly. If the bread is not wrapped well, the air will cause it to dry out.

Can you Make Zucchini Bread with Yellow Squash

You can substitute zucchini with yellow squash to make this recipe. The moistening properties of the squash will be about the same as zucchini but you may notice that it comes out a bit sweeter in flavor because of the squash. Using yellow squash instead of zucchini is a delicious twist on this recipe.

Can Dogs Eat Zucchini Bread?

While dogs can eat zucchini without getting sick, the other ingredients in zucchini bread, like the oil and sugar, are not actually good for dogs and it can lead to health concerns like obesity. So if you dog happens to get a bite or two of this sweet bread, it will not hurt it, but it is not something you want to share often.

Can You Freeze Zucchini Bread Batter

You can freeze zucchini bread batter. The best way to do this is to place the batter in an air tight container or a freezer bag. Make sure you press out as much of the air as possible before sealing it up. Then you want to label the container so that you know what it is and when you make it.

When you are ready to use the batter again, take it out and let it thaw for at least two hours.  Then make sure to replace the container into the refrigerator so that it will keep for as long as possible.

Do You Remove Seeds from Zucchini for Bread

You do not need to remove the seeds. As your grate the zucchini, the seeds become broken up and this eliminates the need to remove the seeds.

How Long to Cook Mini Loaves of Zucchini Bread

Mini loaves of zucchini bread are great to serve to friends and family and they make a great gift idea. I love to give these as gifts during the holidays. it was a tradition my grandmother started and of course, it is something that I wanted to continue.

When you make these in mini pans, you want to bake it for about 40 minutes. This will vary depending on your oven and the size of your pans, so be sure to watch them carefully.

Zucchini Bread Muffins

You can also make them into zucchini bread muffins. In that case, you want to bake the muffins for about 20 minutes. Again this might vary depending on your oven and if you are using a standard size pan so be sure to watch them carefully.

Why is my Zucchini Bread Flat

The main reason that zucchini bread falls flat is because as it cools the air bubbles are unstable. This is often because the bread was mixed too quick or too hard. This is why the bread should be mixed until just combined and not overmixed.

Is Zucchini Bread Batter Supposed to be Thick

When you make this batter, the batter will seem very wet but at the same time it is thick.

Can you Substitute Cucumber for Zucchini in Bread

From what I have heard it is possible to swap cucumber for zucchini in bread. I have not personally tried it however. Because the cucumber is wetter than zucchini it will throw off your rations so you need to make a few adjustments. If you want to swap out zucchini for cucumber, it is possible. You will need about 1-½ cups grated cucumber and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in place of the zucchini. If you use this substitution, cut back on some of the milk or add a bit more flour to help thicken the batter.

Variations to Zucchini Bread

If you want to make this recipe even more delicious, there are a few things that you can do. You can add things like

• Nuts- if you like nuts in your zucchini bread, you can certainly add them. You can add in walnuts or pecans.
• Raisins - Raisins are a great addition. You can also add in cranberries for a tartier flavor that really pops.
• Chocolate chips- How can you go wrong with adding chocolate chips to anything.
• Cocoa Powder - If you wanted a bigger chocolate pop, you can also add in cocoa powder to make a chocolate zucchini bread. Add the cocoa with the chocolate chips and you will have a double chocolate chip zucchini bread.
• Peanut Butter Chips- Peanut butter chips are perfect in this bread. The peanut butter pairs perfectly with the sweetness of this bread. Add both chocolate and peanut butter chips for an even better treat.

The Best way to Serve Zucchini Bread

You can serve this bread as it is. You can add some butter or cream cheese on the slice of bread as well. One of my favorite says to enjoy this treat is to butter both sides of the bread and then grill it in a frying pan. I do the same thing when I make my chocolate banana bread muffins and it takes it to a whole new level.

How Much Does Zucchini Bread Cost

While my grandparents always had zucchini from the garden on hand, that isn't the case for most people making this recipe. So as of the day I am writing this recipe, getting the ingredients from Krogers, this recipe costs about $3.24 to make. This recipes makes 24 slices, because you can get 12 from each loaf. That comes out to about $0.14 a slice.

Ingredients

Get the full list of ingredients at the bottom of the post in the printable recipe card.

• Shredded zucchini
• Eggs- Use room temperature eggs
• Oil - Use canola or vegetable oil
• Vanilla - Make sure it is pure vanilla extract
• Sugar- Sugar makes everything perfect
• Cinnamon - This is the perfect spice to go with zucchini
• Flour - If you want to make it a bit more healthy use whole wheat flour.
• Salt- Do not skip the salt. It helps to bring out the flavor.
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Raisins and nuts - These are optional. I personally do not use it in mine.

How to Make Moist Zucchini Bread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans like these.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Beat eggs, vanilla, oil, and sugar together in a bowl.

Add in the flour mixture, slowly.

Once the ingredients are well mixed, stir in the zucchini and raisins/nuts if you are using them.

Pour into the 2 pans. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. They are done when the knife comes out clean.

Cool for about a half hour, then remove from pans.

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