Here's a delicious recipe for Lemony Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread. It's made with 100% whole wheat flour and is a great way to get more whole grains in your diet. But you can substitute all-purpose flour!
Some foods are like cozy blankets that wrap us in comfort. Zucchini bread is one of them. I've been making it for years.
This summer though, I decided to tweak things a bit. Not in a just-because-I-have-a-food-blog-I-must-change-everything way. More like, now-that-I'm-more-confident-in-the-kitchen-I-should-consider-how-to-make-this-even-better way.
So, I approached this recipe trying to solve for three things:
- Incorporating whole wheat flour for a healthier zucchini bread
- Reducing/eliminating the nutmeg, since my daughter doesn't care for it
- Making the lemon flavor really pop.
First, I simply replaced the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour. It worked really well, but you could try a 50/50 combination or use only all-purpose flour, if you prefer.
But, if you'd like to include more whole grains in your diet, quick breads like this one (or banana bread, beer bread and whole wheat blueberry muffins with olive oil), provide the perfect opportunity. The bread will look darker, but still taste delicious.
Second, I tried using half the amount of nutmeg in the recipe. My daughter took one bite, and....no. It was still overpowering the bread.
And, since I can take or leave nutmeg, I decided to leave it out. There's still a teaspoon of cinnamon to provide that warm, spice flavor.
Third, I addressed the lemon issue. The original recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book called for just a teaspoon of zest, which was barely noticeable in the finished product.
So, I tried doubling the zest. Still not enough.
I knew it was time to triple the lemon zest to a tablespoon...and bring out my pantry's heavy hitter — lemon extract. I stock it at all times, because it works wonders for lemon cakes and other baked goods.
And, just a little goes a long way.
All I needed was ½ teaspoon to bring out the X-factor, to put the "lemony" in my whole wheat zucchini bread.
It's just like Say Yes to the Dress, when they bring out the belt and veil to seal the deal for the bride-to-be. You know it's a winner when they bring out the accessories.
So, are you ready to say "yes" to my Lemony Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread? It's only $6.99!
More ways to use zucchini
- Batter-Fried Zucchini
- Zucchini with Mint
- Pasta with Zucchini
- Cheesy Zucchini Bake
- Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Enjoy!
(Recipe Source: Inspired by the Zucchini Bread recipe in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1989, p. 56)
Lemony Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini (from 1 small zucchini)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x4x2 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- To shred your zucchini, first rinse the zucchini and pat it dry. Trim off and discard the ends. Shred the zucchini in a food processor or using a box grater, until you have enough to measure one cup.
- For the lemon zest, rinse and pat dry two lemons. Use a lemon zester to scrape the lemon peel until you have one tablespoon.
- Add your shredded zucchini and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar, oil, egg and lemon extract. Stir until mixed.
- In a small mixing bowl, add your flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Whisk them to blend.
- Add your flour mixture to your large bowl with the zucchini batter. Gently stir to combine. Chop up some shelled walnuts until you have ½ cup. Stir the chopped walnuts into your batter.
- Transfer the batter to your loaf pan and bake, uncovered, for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pan rest for ten minutes on a wire rack before inverting the zucchini bread onto a cooling rack (wear oven mitts.) Flip the zucchini bread over so that it is right-side up and let it finish cooling off. The bread tastes best when it has cooled to room temperature.
- Once cooled off, store the zucchini bread at room temperature, wrapped in plastic.
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Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
$6.99 you say????? Sign me up for a half dozen if you please...xoxoxoxo
Mamma C
You got it! 🙂
Elena @ happykitchen.rocks
This bread looks amazing! I'm going to make it today. Will keep you updated about the result 🙂
Mamma C
I hope you enjoy it, Elena!
Elena @ happykitchen.rocks
Oh yes, I did! I posted a picture of it on FB and mentioned your page. Thank you so much for the recipe! The only thing I changed was the amount of sugar (I put about a half) and it was still too sweet for me. We ate it with soft goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes in oil. I guess if you eat it as a dessert, sweetness is not a problem 🙂
Mamma C
Thanks for reporting back, Elena! If you serve the zucchini bread with savory toppings, it makes sense to reduce the sugar. In the United States, we eat zucchini bread for breakfast or a snack with some butter, the way we would eat a muffin, so it is meant to have some sweetness.
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table
Zucchini and lemon are a match made in heaven. A slice of this cake, adorned with just a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and some lemon shavings would be divine.
Mamma C
That sounds delicious, Ksenia! I've been slathering on butter, and that's good too. 🙂
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
Our zucchinis haven't grown in as yet, but when they do this is likely to happen!
Mamma C
Oh yes, Jacquee! I hope you enjoy it.
Lisa | Garlic + Zest
This sounds like a real treat! And there's so much zucchini in the garden now.... it's practically a must!
Mamma C
Feel free to send some zucchini my way, Lisa! This bread is a pretty healthy treat, except for the sugar.
Sarah
This looks amazing! Sometimes it can be hard to make whole wheat flour work in baking, but you make it look easy!
Mamma C
Thanks, Sarah! With quick breads, it's a simple substitution. And, I always use white whole wheat flour, instead of red whole wheat flour. The white whole wheat is more mild-tasting.
Erica Cardinal
Love that this only calls for 1 zucchini, becasue that is exactly how many I have in my garden. I have a black thumb haha.
Mamma C
At least you have a garden! I'm impressed. We have too many deer to grow anything. 🙂