Easy-to-make moist zucchini bread recipe
- Carbohydrate 9.62344001108248 g
- Cholesterol 61.1453125 mg
- Fat 16.2914092188948 g
- Fiber 0.729693766505357 g
- Protein 2.55220140772677 g
- Saturated Fat 8.64111132814799 g
- Serving Size 1 1 piece (44g)
- Sodium 255.254012689636 mg
- Sugar 8.89374624457712 g
- Trans Fat 1.25044276567279 g
- Calories 192 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 8x4-inch loaf pans. I like to use nonstick spray with flour. Set aside.
- Place the grated zucchini in colander in the sink while you continue.
- Whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
- Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and whisk in until just combined.
- Stir in grated zucchini until just incorporated.
- Add nuts, if using, and stir in until just combined.
- Divide batter between prepared loaf pans.
- Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
- Run a thin knife around the edges, and remove zucchini bread out onto wire cooling racks to finish cooling.
Golden-brown crusts encase a dense, tender crumb flecked with green vegetable shreds and fragrant cinnamon. Baking this quick bread relies on the moisture locked inside Cucurbita pepo to hydrate the batter without requiring additional liquids. Grating the vegetable and resting it briefly in a colander releases excess water, preventing structural collapse during the expansion phase in a 350-degree oven.
Substitutions demand careful adherence to chemical ratios. Replacing all-purpose flour with alternative flours alters starch gelatinization, requiring xanthan gum to trap escaping carbon dioxide produced by the baking soda. Granulated sugar provides more than sweetness; it hygroscopically attracts water molecules, delaying starch retrogradation and keeping slices soft for up to five days at room temperature.
Fats function as tenderizers by shortening gluten strands. Unsalted butter contributes dairy solids that brown via the Maillard reaction, whereas plant oils yield a more uniform, neutral crumb structure. Pecans introduce structural resistance, breaking the soft monotony of the loaf with lipid-rich crunch.
Cooling the loaves in their pans for exactly ten minutes allows internal starches to set before transfer to a wire rack. Undercooling causes steam to condense against the crust, softening the exterior prematurely. Testing doneness requires a wooden toothpick inserted into the geometric center; moist crumbs indicate ungelatinized starches requiring additional oven time.
