Zucchini Bread

Quick and easy Zucchini Bread is topped with a Cinnamon Sugar that makes it irresistible. This quick bread recipe is perfect for using up your zucchini in your garden. It’s moist and delicious. Perfect with a slab of butter on it and warm out of the oven!

Summer means it’s time for zucchini bread! Where we live it’s not unusual to find bags of zucchini on our porch left by neighbors and friends who have too much to use themselves. And it is fine by me! I love zucchini and I especially love to use it to make this amazing zucchini bread recipe I’m sharing today.

Don’t you just love quick bread recipes? No yeast to deal with, no kneading and no waiting around for the dough to rise. That’s my kind of baking! I love to make pumpkin bread, banana bread, and this zucchini bread. It’s freezer-friendly, great for sharing, and perfect anytime you want a sweet treat!

I’m sharing my best tips so you can make the perfect loaf! You can make it all-year-round, but it’s a really great way to use fresh garden zucchini during the summer. You’re going to love it!

Zucchini Bread Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• White sugar
• Eggs
• Zucchini
• Milk
• All-purpose flour
• Cinnamon
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt

Tips for Baking with Zucchini

You can’t really taste the zucchini in this recipe, but you can see the pretty green flecks. Even though you can’t really taste it, the zucchini does great things for the batter, so it’s important to keep a few things in mind:

• When it’s summer I love to use garden-fresh zucchini but the rest of the year I just get grocery store ones!
• For this recipe, you will want to grate them. You don’t have to peel them first (the skin isn’t tough) so just use a grater to shred the zucchini.
• I also recommend that you squeeze out the excess moisture before you add the zucchini to the batter. Excess liquid will change the consistency of your bread.

How to Make the Batter

Once you’ve prepped your zucchini you can make the batter!

• Combine the oil, sugar, eggs, and grated zucchini in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones in batches alternating with the milk in between. So, add some flour mixture, followed by some milk, and stir between each just until the dry ingredients are absorbed.

• Divide the batter evenly between two greased loaf pans.
• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over the top of the batter.
• Bake the loaves for one hour at 350 degrees F. Be sure to cool them completely before slicing and serving it.

How do you know when it’s done?

The easiest way to tell is by sticking a toothpick in the center. It should come out clean with no raw batter sticking to it. It’s a good idea to check your bread before the end of the baking time since ovens run differently.

If your loaves are golden brown on top but not baked through you can cover them with foil while they finishes baking.

Why did my bread fall in the middle?

Ugh, this is the worst! There are a few reasons why quick breads collapse when they are baking.

• Too much moisture: Sometimes bread collapses because it has too much moisture. So, be sure to squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini to prevent this from happening.
• Expired leavening agents: Be sure to check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda before you make the batter. If they are expired the loaf won’t rise properly while it’s baking.
• Overmixed the batter: When you make the batter it’s important to mix until it’s just combined. This means the dry ingredients are absorbed into the wet ones. You don’t want it completely smooth. Overmixing will work the gluten in the flour too much and make it difficult for the bread to rise while it bakes.
• Left the batter out too long: When you make the batter don’t leave it to sit out at room temperature too long. It’s best to have your pans prepared so you can pour the batter in and get the loaves in the oven. Baking soda loses its effectiveness when it sits too long and your bread may not puff up while it bakes.
• Not baked through: If your bread collapses while it’s cooling it’s probably because it’s not baked through. Be sure to use the toothpick test to ensure it’s completely done.

Why is my bread tough?

If your zucchini bread has a tough almost chewy texture, most likely the batter was over mixed. For tender and moist bread you want to:

• Mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet ones. Whisking the flour with the other dry ingredients first makes it easier to combine them with the wet ones without having to over mix the batter.
• Add the dry ingredients in batches and not all at once. Doing it this way ensures that the flour is fully absorbed without having to overmix.

Storage Tips

One thing I LOVE about this zucchini bread recipe is that it stores really well!

After it’s fully cooled you can wrap it tightly and it will keep at room temperature for up to three days. I usually keep it as a loaf and just slice a piece when I want it. Keeping it whole will prevent it from drying out.

You can also freeze it for up to three months. Just make sure it’s fully cooled before you wrap it in plastic wrap. Keep it in an freezer-safe container or bag. Just leave it out at room temperature to thaw it!

I hope you love this recipe! That sweet cinnamon topping with the soft zucchini bread is so good! It’s perfect with a pat of warm butter on top – you don’t need anything else to dress it up.

If you want even more zucchini bread recipes be sure to check out some of these amazing recipes, too!

• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread is rich, fudgy, and full of sweet chocolate flavor. It’s so simple to make and irresistible! 
• Try my easy Zucchini Apple Bread recipe filled with freshly grated zucchini and sweet apples. It’s also topped with a cinnamon brown sugar crumb topping!
• Now you don’t have to choose – my Zucchini Banana Bread combines two favorite quick bread recipes into one delicious treat!
• Be sure to try the healthy and delicious Zucchini Fries are tender slices of zucchini that are dipped in a Parmesan Panko breading and then baked until they are crispy!

Be sure to give this recipe a try! If you love this recipe as much as we do (pretty sure you will!), be sure to leave a five-star rating below!

Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram either, I’d love to see pictures of your good eats! @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats