In Season: Cinnamon Zucchini Quick Bread

When I went (late in the afternoon) to pick up my CSA share last week, I was disappointed to find that all that was left were bushels upon bushels of zucchini and summer squash, some cucumbers, and a few tomatoes.  So, I returned home with more zucchini than I knew I could eat anytime soon.  Excess zucchini = zucchini bread in this house, so my disappointment was short-lived.

Zucchini bread is often loaded with ridiculous amounts of oil and sugar.  With a little tweaking, I’ve revised a traditional recipe to be healthier and lighter, but just as delicious.  A great baker’s trick is to substitute applesauce for oil.  This provides the requisite moisture with no added fat.  I also radically cut the sugar amounts, almost in half.  The applesauce provides some sweetness, even when you are using an unsweetened variety, as I do. Cinnamon also adds a hint of sweetness, plus  gives additional flavor and color.   The result is a nicely balanced quick bread, not too sweet, not too bland. 

Don’t let an overabundance of zucchini overwhelm you!  Make a big batch of these mini-loaves, enjoy some fresh from the oven and stash a few in the freezer to enjoy long after the zucchini harvest has passed.

Cinnamon Zucchini Quick Bread
Makes 5 mini loaves
1 cup sugar

1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup applesauce

3 eggs

3 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups shredded zucchini

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 5 mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, and eggs in a medium bowl. Mix to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.

Add the shredded zucchini and fold in.

Evenly divide the batter between loaf pans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then un-mold and continue to cool completely on rack.

Store on counter top that day, or wrap tightly in foil and place in freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Click here for more information about Tracy’s Connecticut cooking classes, or to read her The Secret Ingredient Blog.

Tags: cinnamon, quick bread, zucchini bread