I haven’t the faintest idea who decided to put zucchini into bread (and the internet really wasn’t much help), but I’m happy they did. At first blush, it seems like an odd choice. But the zucchini in the batter makes for a wonderfully moist bread!
Zucchini is one of my favorite summer produce items, and we have been experiencing some truly lovely summer-like weather in Philadelphia. So, even though zucchini season is a month or so away (July through September), I couldn’t resist buying a bunch of zucchini recently. When I realized over the weekend that I had yet to use them, zucchini bread immediately popped into my mind!
This version uses one of my favorite flavor combinations – pistachio and cranberry – but is really versatile. Feel free to experiment with different nuts and dried fruits, or omit them altogether.
Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups freshly grated zucchini (~1-2 zucchini)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 5×9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat and let cool slightly.
Grate your zucchini and add to a colander over a bowl to drain.
Add the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a medium sized bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
Add the egg to a large bowl. Beat with a whisk. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Stir in the zucchini, followed by the reserved melted butter.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture, stirring until just combined.
Stir in the pistachios and dried cranberries.
Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and let fully cool on a wire rack before slicing.
The smell of this bread while it is baking is fantastic — I wouldn’t mind if my house always smelled like this!
The bread gets a slightly crunchy exterior while the middle remains so fluffy and moist. The flavor is on the sweeter side, with subtle hints of the cinnamon and cardamom.
I suggest making this zucchini bread on a Sunday and eating it throughout the week as breakfast!
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups freshly grated zucchini (~1-2 zucchini)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 5×9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat and let cool slightly.
- Grate your zucchini and add to a colander over a bowl to drain.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a medium sized bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Add the egg to a large bowl. Beat with a whisk. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Stir in the zucchini, followed by the reserved melted butter.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Stir in the pistachios and dried cranberries.
- Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and let fully cool on a wire rack before slicing.
