Ever since I made this recipe we have a fear that our 5-year-old is going to turn into a piece of zucchini bread! She cannot stop eating it. She actually said she was sad about something the other day, but eating a piece of zucchini bread would make it all better. And can you tell that I couldn’t even get a picture of a whole loaf (the back-end is missing) because suddenly there is no restraint in our house when it comes to this bread! I have to admit it really is good and tastes so similar to the recipe I used to make that was full of sugar. Granted this one does have a decent amount of honey in it so you shouldn’t sit down and consume an entire loaf in one sitting, but the fact that this is approved during our “100 Days of Real Food” makes me so happy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour, I used King Arthur's white whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups zucchini, grated
- 1 cup nuts, chopped, optional – I have tried both pecans and almonds, although walnuts would be good too
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees F for small loaf pans or 325 degrees F for large loaf pan or muffins.
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Blend the dry ingredients.
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Make a well (or hole) in the center and pour in the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla. Stir just until mixed – do not overmix.
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Fold in the grated zucchini and chopped nuts if using. Pour batter into greased loaf pan(s) or muffin holders and bake until a toothpick comes clean in the top/center of the loaf or muffin.
- If using smaller pans bake for 30 – 40 minutes. I was able to fill four of my small loaf pans.
- For one larger loaf pan bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
- For muffins bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
Enjoy and don't forget to freeze the leftovers!
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
When I make zucchini bread, I like to use contrasting fruits: one sweet, one tart. For instance, blueberries and cranberries (preferably fresh in both cases). Many other combinations work, and it give nice variety to this.
These were okay. My kids weren’t asking for more. They weren’t sweet enough, a bit bland. Not sure what adjustments I would need to make if I added more honey.
My little guy loves this bread! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I made this with leftover spaghetti squash instead of zucchini, subbed butter for an allergic friend, and threw in dark chocolate chips instead of nuts. Everyone adored it! (I was a little shy on the honey too, but it turned out just sweet enough.)
Curious how many loaves and/or muffins does this make? I am thinking of halving the recipe
Added a very ripe banana and more baking powder. Turned out great! :)
Do you squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini?
No, you do not need to.
Followed the directions and ended up with dough, not batter. I added a little apple sauce which helped, but the end product was a bit dry. Still tastes lovey. This is actually the second muffin receive I’ve tried that did this. Any ideas why I’m not getting the batter like consistency I should be getting?
I made this yesterday and it is delicious. Just a couple of notes for those asking questions—yes the batter is quite thick– more like a soft dough– but there is no need to add any more liquid…the bread will turn out fine as is. Also for those saying their bread was dry– this can happen when the flour is measured with a cup used for liquids (ie, it isn’t measured with cups made for dry ingredients) and/or the flour is scooped into the cup instead of lightly spooned. Also over mixing quick breads can cause texture changes as well. Hope this helps!
Mine are turning out extremely dry too. Should have read the comments before attempting. I’ve had them in the oven for 20 minutes and half of the.muffin is already dried out and half is borderline raw.
Maybe the recipe should be updated to reflect “if batter extremely dry, then….”.
I made a second time, this time ensured all ingredients were room temp. Muffins much more moust this time around, except it took them nearly 45 minutes to bake and I’m STI’LL not sure they’re cooked all the way through! Probably should have baked at 350.