Forget Banana Bread: This Spiced Zucchini Loaf is the Ultimate Morning Comfort Food

Ever since the pandemic started, the bread baking has become a whole new trend in social media, leading to the creation of all kinds of recipes for bread filled with fruits or vegetables. Even though the banana bread definitely took the world by storm, the zucchini bread has grown in its popularity as well, mostly due to its spicy taste that doesn’t even imply zucchini’s presence.

In case you’ve wanted to dig deeper into the world of bread baking, here’s a recipe that you will likely keep close after trying for the first time.

Ingredients: 2 cups of grated zucchini (about one large or two medium zucchini), 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter or coconut oil, ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana, ½ cup of honey or pure maple syrup, ¼ cup of milk, 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (you can increase this to ½ teaspoon if you like nutmeg), 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, ¾ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips (optional).

Grease a baking pan (such as a 9×5-inch loaf pan) generously with cooking spray or butter, then lightly dust with flour.

Wrap the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Place the butter (or coconut oil) in a large bowl and melt it in the microwave. Add the applesauce, honey or maple syrup, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour, zucchini, and nuts (if using) into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F (about 177°C) for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then move it to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can store the bread at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.