The Best Zucchini Bread (Two Loaves)
A classic zucchini bread with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a full pound of unsqueezed grated zucchini. Two 8x4 loaves from one batch, mixed with a whisk in two bowls, no mixer needed. Bake to 205°F for a crumb that stays moist for five days.
Equipment
- 2 8x4-inch metal loaf pans Light aluminized steel. Glass pans need 325°F and 5 to 10 extra minutes. Dark nonstick over-browns the crust.
- 1 Box Grater Use the large holes. A food processor shredding disc is faster for 2 lb or more
- 1 Digital Kitchen Scale Used for both the flour and the zucchini. The single most useful tool in this recipe
- 1 Instant-read digital thermometer Finished loaves read 200°F to 205°F in the center
- 1 Large mixing bowl 4-quart or larger, for the dry ingredients.
- 1 Medium mixing bowl 2-quart, for the wet ingredients
- 1 Balloon whisk Replaces sifting and replaces a mixer
- 1 Flexible silicone spatula For folding, so you do not overmix
- 2 Sheets parchment paper Cut into slings with a 2-inch overhang on the long sides
- 1 Wire cooling rack Airflow underneath prevents a soggy base
- 1 Dry measuring cup set Only if you are not weighing. Spoon and level.
- 1 Measuring spoon set For the spices, leaveners, salt, and vanilla
- 1 Serrated bread knife Saws clean slices without compressing the crumb.
- 1 Vegetable peeler Optional, only for oversized garden zucchini with a tough rind.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (360 g)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder check the date, replace after 6 months
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt not optional in a sweet loaf
Wet ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (200
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil (180 ml)
- ¼ cup ull-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (60 g)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Zucchini and add-ins
- 3 cups grated zucchini loosely measured, unpeeled, unsqueezed, from about 1 lb or 2 medium zucchini (390 g)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional (120 g)
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar optional, for the tops
Instructions
Prep
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) with a rack in the center position.
- Grease two 8x4-inch metal loaf pans, then line each with a parchment sling that overhangs the long sides by 2 inches.
- Trim the ends off the zucchini. Grate on the large holes of a box grater, skin on.
- Spoon the shreds loosely into a measuring cup without pressing, or weigh out 390 g. Do not drain, blot, or squeeze. For an oversized garden zucchini, halve it lengthwise, scrape out the seedy core with a spoon, then grate and reweigh.
Mix
- In the large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for a full 20 seconds until the color is uniform. Whisking here does the job of sifting.
- In the medium bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 45 seconds until slightly lightened.
- Whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth, with no white streaks of sour cream remaining.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry. Fold with the spatula about 12 strokes, until only a few dry streaks remain. Add the zucchini and the nuts, if using.
- Fold 8 to 10 more strokes, just until no dry flour is visible. The batter looks far too thick for the first few strokes, then loosens within seconds as the zucchini releases its water. Stop the moment the flour disappears, because every stroke past that builds gluten and turns the crumb dense and tunneled.
Bake
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans, roughly 700 g per pan, and smooth the tops. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, if using.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes. At the 35-minute mark, tent each loaf loosely with foil if the tops are browning fast.
- Start checking at 50 minutes. The loaves are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 200°F to 205°F and the top springs back when pressed. A toothpick alone is unreliable in a batter this wet.
Cool
- Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Lift the loaves out by the parchment slings and cool directly on the rack for at least 45 minutes more.
- Slice with a serrated knife using a sawing motion, never downward pressure.
Notes
- Weigh the flour. A densely packed cup holds up to 160 g against a correct 120 g, so three scooped cups can add 120 g of extra flour and dry the loaf out completely. Without a scale, fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup, and level with a knife.
- Do not squeeze fresh zucchini. At roughly 94.8 percent water, the 390 g in this recipe supplies about 370 g of liquid, and the ingredient list has no milk or water to replace it. Thawed frozen zucchini is the one exception, and it should be drained in a sieve and lightly pressed before measuring.
- Use 8x4 pans for height. A 9x5 pan holds noticeably more, so the same batter spreads wider and flatter. If a 9x5 is what you own, start checking at 40 minutes.
- Temperature beats the toothpick. Zucchini bread holds enough moisture to leave a pick damp when the loaf is fully baked, which is why so many people overbake chasing a clean toothpick. Pull at 200°F to 205°F in the center.
- Cool a full hour before slicing. Steam is still redistributing through the crumb, and cutting early is the most common reason a properly baked loaf tastes gummy.
- Keep total add-ins at or under 1 1/2 cups. Nuts, chips, and dried fruit beyond that weigh down the crumb and sink the center.
- To make one loaf, halve everything, use 2 eggs, reduce the oil by 1 tablespoon, and bake in a single 8x4 pan for 50 to 58 minutes.
- Storage runs 3 days airtight at room temperature, 7 days refrigerated, and 3 months frozen. Freeze slices with parchment squares between them so you can thaw one at a time.
- Above 3,500 feet, cut each sugar by 1 tablespoon, drop the baking powder to 1 teaspoon, add 2 tablespoons flour, and raise the oven to 365°F.
- Do not mix the batter ahead. The leaveners start reacting the moment they meet the zucchini's liquid, and a rested batter will not rise.
- Taste a raw shred of any zucchini over 10 inches. Bitterness signals high cucurbitacin, and a bitter squash belongs in the compost.