Old-Fashioned Zucchini Bread
If you grow zucchini — courgettes, as we call them on this side of the Atlantic — you know the August problem: turn your back for a wet weekend and the plants have made more than any family can politely give away. This loaf is what the glut is for. Grannies have been baking vegetables into sweet spiced breads for the best part of a century, and zucchini bread is the finest of the lot — the zucchini melts into the crumb, leaving nothing behind but moisture, tenderness and pretty green flecks.
There is one make-or-break step, and it takes two minutes: squeeze the grated zucchini dry in a clean tea towel. Zucchini is more than 90% water, and if it all goes into the batter you get a loaf that is gummy inside and sunken on top. Wring hard over the sink — you will be astonished how much liquid comes out — but stop while the shreds still feel damp, because that last bit of moisture is exactly what keeps the crumb soft for days. After that there is only the usual quick-bread rule: fold the flour in gently and stop the moment it disappears.
Brown sugar and cinnamon give it that old-fashioned bakery smell, the walnuts are traditional but entirely optional, and the whole thing comes together in one bowl with a whisk. Like all the best loaves, it is even better on the second day — wrapped, patient, and somehow always gone by the third.
Old-Fashioned Zucchini Bread
Moist, cinnamon-spiced and never soggy — the tea-towel squeeze makes all the difference.
Ingredients
- 300 g zucchini (about 2 medium), coarsely grated and squeezed dry
- 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml sunflower or other neutral oil
- 150 g soft light brown sugar and 50 g caster sugar
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, ½ tsp baking powder and ¾ tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- 75 g walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
- Prep. Oven to 180°C (fan 160°C / gas 4); grease and line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin. Coarsely grate the zucchini, skin on — no need to peel.
- Squeeze. Pile the grated zucchini into a clean tea towel and wring hard over the sink until it stops dripping freely. Damp is perfect; bone dry is a step too far.
- Whisk. In a big bowl, whisk the eggs, both sugars, oil and vanilla for a minute, until smooth and glossy. Stir the squeezed zucchini through.
- Fold. Sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold gently until just combined — no dry streaks — adding the walnuts with the last few strokes.
- Bake. Scrape into the tin and bake 50–60 minutes, until well risen, deep golden and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Tent with foil for the last 15 minutes if it browns quickly.
- Cool. 10 minutes in the tin, then onto a rack. Slice once fully cool — better still, wrap and wait for tomorrow.
When the August glut hits, grate, squeeze and freeze zucchini in 300 g bags — then a warm spiced loaf is one bowl and an hour away, all winter long.
Tips for a moist, never-soggy loaf
Squeeze, don't skip
Wringing the grated zucchini in a tea towel is the whole trick — a shocking amount of water comes out, and the loaf bakes moist instead of gummy. Too rushed to wring? Toss the shreds with a pinch of salt, wait 10 minutes and squeeze — the water pours out.
Skin on, coarse holes
Don't peel — the skin is tender, holds the shreds together and gives the crumb its pretty green flecks. Use the coarse side of the box grater; fine shreds turn to mush.
Trust the skewer
A damp, sunken middle means it came out too soon. Test the very centre and give it 5 more minutes if in doubt, tenting with foil so the top doesn't over-darken.
Questions, answered
Why is my zucchini bread soggy or sunk in the middle?
Almost always water. Zucchini is over 90% water, so if the shreds go in unsqueezed the batter is too wet to set and the centre collapses as it cools. Wring the grated zucchini hard in a tea towel first, weigh it before squeezing (300 g here), and bake until a skewer in the very centre comes out clean — a pale, early-pulled loaf will always sink.
Do I need to peel the zucchini for zucchini bread?
No — leave the skin on. It is thin, bakes completely tender and gives the loaf its pretty green flecks; peeling just loses colour and a little structure. Only peel if you are using a huge, marrow-sized zucchini with tough skin, and scoop out the big watery seeds while you are at it.
Can I freeze zucchini bread?
Beautifully. Cool completely, wrap well and freeze whole or in slices for up to 3 months; slices thaw in about an hour, or 20 seconds in the microwave. You can also freeze grated, squeezed zucchini in 300 g bags and bake fresh loaves through winter — thaw and squeeze once more before using.
Can I make zucchini bread muffins instead of a loaf?
Yes — this batter makes 12 muffins. Divide between a lined 12-hole muffin tin and bake at 190°C (fan 170°C / gas 5) for 18–22 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Muffins dry out faster than the loaf, so eat within 2 days or freeze.