Waxing poetic about my garden never gets old.
Take a look back at my old posts and you’ll see that I have been writing at this time of the year about the many uses for zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumbers. They are as abundant in my garden this year as they were in years past. I assume you are always looking for new ideas for these veggies, right?
I actually posted this recipe for Zucchini Applesauce Bread years ago but decided to give it an update. A little less of this, a little more of that. Things change over the years and I think this new version is better than ever.
Whoever first thought to put zucchini into bread must have been radical at the time. I don’t think most people think of adding vegetables into a dessert-like bread, but I am glad they did. Zucchini has a lot of fiber and water so it keeps the texture nice and moist. Not to mention the many health benefits of zucchini. This is a vegetable worth having in your life.
Not that I want to be baking with a hot oven right now but a. my first of three kids is leaving to go back to school, to a pandemic hotspot no less, and I am doing a combination of stress baking and making sure I send him off with some food; and b. I have so much summer squash that I need to use it up.
Zucchini bread works for all of this.
The best part? Make it now, freeze it, and enjoy it later.
What do you do with all your summer squash? Post below!
Zucchini Applesauce Bread
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Zucchini Applesauce Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: breads
- Method: bake
Description
Whoever first thought to put zucchini into bread must have been radical at the time. I don’t think most people think of adding vegetables into a dessert-like bread, but I am glad they did.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini (see note)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Coat a loaf pan with oil. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the zucchini and walnuts, if using.
- Add batter to the prepared loaf pan. Place in oven and bake for 45-50, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest on a wire baking rack for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
Notes
This is where that underused food processor comes in really handy. Cut your zucchini into large pieces and, using the grater blade, grate the zucchini in less than a minute.
