Spiced Zucchini Bread

Before you start

Zucchini bread is an oil-based quick bread in which grated summer squash does the job most loaves leave to extra fat or sugar. The squash is mostly water, so it keeps the crumb soft for days, while its mild flavor lets cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar carry the taste.

The decision that matters most is how wet the zucchini is. Weigh it after grating, then press it gently in a towel so it stops dripping but still feels damp. Wring it bone dry and the loaf turns crumbly; skip the step with a watery late-season squash and the middle can stay dense and gummy no matter how long it bakes.

Ingredients

• Dry250 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• Wet2 large eggs — room temperature
• 150 g (¾ cup, packed) light brown sugar
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 120 ml (½ cup) neutral oil — such as canola or sunflower
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 300 g (about 2 cups lightly packed) grated zucchini — about 2 medium, weighed after grating and gentle squeezing
• Optional60 g (½ cup) walnuts or pecans — toasted and chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack in the center. Grease the loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling that overhangs the long sides.
2. Trim the zucchini but leave the skin on. Grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Pile it in the center of a towel, gather the corners and twist gently over the sink until it stops dripping freely; it should still look moist. Weigh out 300 g.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl until the spices look evenly blended.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs with both sugars for about 1 minute, until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy and slightly thickened.
5. Stir the zucchini into the wet mixture. Add the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until no pockets of flour remain. Fold in the nuts if using. The batter will be thick and spoonable.
6. Scrape the batter into the pan and level it. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is domed and springs back, a crack forms down the middle, and a skewer pushed into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. The center should read about 96°C (205°F) on a probe thermometer.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift the loaf out by the parchment and cool completely on a rack before slicing with a serrated knife.

Tips for success

• Start checking at 50 minutes if your pan is dark metal; dark pans brown the sides faster and can finish the loaf sooner.
• Grate the zucchini right before mixing. Grated squash left in a bowl keeps weeping liquid, and you lose control over how wet the batter is.
• An oversized late-summer zucchini has spongy seeds; scoop them out with a spoon before grating so the loaf does not turn stringy.

Substitutions

Neutral oil

Melted butter adds flavor but the crumb firms up more in the fridge and the loaf tastes drier by day three. Half butter and half oil is a good compromise.

All-purpose flour

Replace up to half with whole wheat flour. The loaf will be darker, nuttier and a little denser; add 1 tablespoon of milk if the batter looks stiff.

Light brown sugar

All granulated sugar works. The bread will be paler, slightly less moist and without the faint caramel note brown sugar gives.

Variations

Chocolate chip zucchini bread

Swap the nuts for 90 g (½ cup) semisweet chocolate chips tossed in 1 teaspoon of the measured flour so they do not sink.

Lemon zucchini bread

Drop the nutmeg, cut the cinnamon to ½ teaspoon, add the zest of 1 lemon and finish with a glaze of 90 g powdered sugar and 1½ tablespoons lemon juice.

Troubleshooting

Dense, wet streak through the middle

The zucchini carried too much water or the loaf was underbaked. Squeeze until it stops dripping, bake until the center reaches about 96°C (205°F), and let it cool fully before cutting.

Top is dark but the center is raw

The oven runs hot or the pan sits too high. Check the temperature with an oven thermometer, bake on the center rack, and tent loosely with foil once the top is well browned.

Loaf sank after baking

Usually underbaking or too much leavening from heaped spoons. Level your measuring spoons and use the skewer and temperature checks rather than time alone.

Storage

Wrap the cooled loaf and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days; zucchini bread grows moister on day two. In humid weather, refrigerate it after the first day for up to a week. Freeze well-wrapped slices for up to 3 months and toast them straight from frozen.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw batter, which contains raw egg and raw flour. Contains wheat and egg, plus tree nuts if you add them.