The Unexpected Tip for Making the Best Zucchini Bread

I’ll never forget my first. The first time I used a food processor was in a restaurant kitchen, and it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. That industrial strength Robot Coupe introduced me to the time-saving device I love dearly. I got married a year later (to a human), and the only gift I requested was a food processor. The machine's ability to puree vegetables in seconds piqued my creativity.  

During this time, I was tending a huge garden that was yielding a bounty of zucchini so I made a lot of zucchini bread. 

Up to that point, I made zucchini bread the usual way, by grating the zucchini, but one thing led to another, and I thought, well if you can puree bananas or pumpkin for a quick bread, why not zucchini? Luckily, I had my handy food processor, so instead of using a grater, I tossed the zucchini in the food processor bowl and pureed it. 

The resulting loaf was so moist and had such a tender crumb that I was hooked. Even my husband noticed the difference.

Puree—Don't Grate—Your Zucchini for Zucchini Bread

To this day, instead of using a shredder on the zucchini, I just toss it in the processor bowl and puree it. You can save your knuckles and make a luscious, mildly sweet loaf with half the effort.

Once the zucchini is smoothly pureed, I add the brown sugar to the food processor and pulse to mix it in. Then, in go the eggs and oil, which blend into a frothy mix. Then, with a very delicate touch, I sprinkle in the dry ingredients and just pulse a couple of times.

Do not overdo it, or you will have tough or gummy bread. If the mix still has streaks of flour, I stir the batter gently in the processor with a spatula, then I stir in walnuts and scrape the batter into a greased loaf pan.

My food processor is still like my right hand, and I think you’ll see why, when you make this moist, tender treat.

How To Make My Zucchini Bread

For one loaf, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 8 ounces zucchini, sliced (a 7-inch long zucchini or 2 cups sliced)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola or avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Place the zucchini in the bowl of a food processor and process. Scrape down and continue to process until very smooth. Add the brown sugar and process until smooth. Add the eggs and process, then add the oil and vanilla and process until lightly frothy.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the zucchini mixture and quickly pulse twice. Take off the lid and use a rubber spatula to stir in any visible flour, then stir in the walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before loosening the loaf by running a knife around the pan, then inverting the loaf onto the rack to cool completely. 

This moist bread keeps tightly wrapped for up to four days at room temperature.