Zucchini Bread
My mother's zucchinis have a reputation for being as big as baseball bats and for starring in at least ten loaves of zucchini bread every summer. She passes out loaves to everyone in the neighborhood and hands out whole zucchinis along with them.
This zucchini bread recipe was originally written by my grandma, but my mom has switched it up over the years to make it her own. She usually replaces half the oil with applesauce and occasionally adds more nuts or even more grated zucchini into the batter. For this post, I mostly stuck to my grandma's original recipe, but feel free to experiment as you see fit.
This zucchini bread, in all its variations, was a staple food during my childhood summers and is still one of my favorite summer bakes. It's sweet, moist and has a hint of cinnamon. Have a slice on a Sunday morning with a pat of butter and a cup of coffee for a real treat.
Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!
Makes: one large loaf of bread
Serves: about 10 slices
Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup neutral oil
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chopped nut of choice
Steps
Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat eggs until foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Then, pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and a little extra sugar over the top of the loaf. Bake for 60-90 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Eat up! To hold in moisture, transfer the loaf to a tightly sealed container just before the loaf is completely cooled.
Sustainability tips
Eggs: Local eggs are really easy to find if you look for them. Buying locally means your eggs won't have to travel as far, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.
Sugar: I like to buy coconut sugar because it's easy to find fair trade varieties, but organic or fair trade granulated sugars are other sustainable options here. Read all about it in my sustainable cane sugars post!
Zucchini: Your best option here is to grow the zucchini yourself, but local or organic zucchini is another great option. Be sure to make this recipe during the summer, when zucchini are in season. This way, your zucch won't have to travel very far to get to you.
Flour: I like to buy King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp, which means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could seek out a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel.
Nuts: Try to buy locally sourced nuts and seeds and avoid water-guzzling nuts like almonds and walnuts. Read all about your local nuts in my nuts sustainability profile!