Description
This easy zucchini bread recipe is a wholesome, comforting, and family-friendly treat, simple to bake for any occasion. It’s perfect for busy parents, budget-conscious cooks, or anyone craving a delicious snack.
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini (480 g), grated and excess moisture squeezed out
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 0.5 cup light brown sugar, packed (100 g)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 0.5 cup vegetable oil (120 mL), neutral (canola or sunflower)
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cardamom (7 mL)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (5 mL)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (10 mL)
- 0.75 teaspoon fine sea salt (4 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 mL), alcohol-free
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (5 mL)
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Pan: Preheat your oven to 175 C (350 F). Lightly grease and flour a 23 x 13 cm (9 x 5 inch) loaf pan, or line with parchment paper leaving an overhang for easy lifting.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, and ground cardamom until thoroughly combined.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, alcohol-free vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of orange blossom water until smooth.
- Mix Wet into Dry: Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined, avoiding overmixing. (If batter seems dry, add a tablespoon of milk).
- Fold in Zucchini: Gently fold in the grated zucchini until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Bake Loaf: Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If it browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 15-20 minutes.
- Cool Bread: Remove bread from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Avoid overmixing the batter to prevent a dense loaf. Ensure zucchini is properly squeezed of excess moisture to prevent a wet texture. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent the loaf with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking. For variations, consider organic or whole wheat flour, coconut sugar or maple syrup, or applesauce or Greek yogurt to partially substitute oil. Use a food processor for quick zucchini grating, and pre-measure dry ingredients for faster prep. Parchment paper slings make lifting the bread easy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (80 g)
- Calories: 300 calories
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg