As I mentioned, my co-worker brought in a ton of zucchinis from her garden and I went home with three huge zucchinis last week.
We roasted two as a side dish for dinner, but I still had one two-pound zucchini left over when the weekend came around and what better way to make use of it than to bake a zucchini bread. Since I don’t have a go-to recipe, I poked around the Internet for a while and came across this recipe for lemon yogurt zucchini bread on Tessa’s blog. Since I love everything with yogurt and lemon, this was the perfect recipe for me to try!
Zucchini is a very watery vegetable and needs to be drained of moisture before you can use it in baking. The more moisture you can extract before baking the more tender and light the crumb will be. I prepared the zucchini the night before and let it drain over night. Tossing it with some sugar will help draw out the moisture.
The recipe called for lemon extract, which I didn’t have on hand, so I omitted it. While the bread still was very good, IMHO, the lemon flavor was very mild and I would definitely add in the lemon extract next time, because it’s more potent and will add a more lemony flavor without adding much extra liquid to the batter.
I also substituted one cup of regular flour with whole wheat flour.
- 1 cups (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (125g) whole wheat flour
- 1 pound (450 grams) zucchini, grated
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/3 cup (95 grams) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsps (70g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- For the glaze
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- Start by coarsely shredding the zucchini with a box grater or food processor. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and place in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Allow to drain of excess water for at least 20 minutes (or overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Prepare an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan by greasing and dusting it with flour, tapping out any excess.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a glass measuring cup, stir together the yogurt, eggs, and remaining sugar. Then add the lemon extract, lemon juice, and melted butter.
- Squeeze the zucchini with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Combine the zucchini, yogurt mixture, and flour mixture (I used my kitchen aid mixer on low).
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack.
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a thick glaze forms.When the bread has completely cooled, spread the glaze evenly over the bread and allow to set for 30 minutes.
- Completely cooled and un-glazed bread can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
- The glazed bread can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Since I had a two-pound zucchini, I ended up making two loaves and then took one loaf to work for my co-workers to enjoy!
The Greek yogurt and lemon made this zucchini bread very fresh and light and at about 150 calories per slice, this is a treat I can’t feel too guilty about! You should give this a try!
Akaleistar
August 8, 2018 at 11:33 amThat looks absolutely delicious!
san
August 8, 2018 at 4:43 pmIt turned out so good!
Lecy | A Simpler Grace
August 8, 2018 at 7:15 pmOh my gosh. This looks SO good! That icing on the top reminds me of the lemon pound cake from Starbucks.
san
August 13, 2018 at 10:54 amHa. I love the lemon pound cake at Starbucks.
ShootingStarsMag
August 8, 2018 at 7:18 pmI’m glad this turned out so well – it looks really good. I’ve never had zucchini in a bread before, but I’m curious. :)
-Lauren
san
August 13, 2018 at 10:55 amDefinitely give this a try – it doesn’t taste like zucchini at all.
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
August 9, 2018 at 7:00 amYum, this looks so good! I made so much zucchini bread last summer as my zucchini plants produced SO MUCH! Zucchini bread is a bread that still tastes good when it’s made GF since it’s a more dense bread in the first place (GF baked goods tend to be more dense). I didn’t plant any zucchini this year but I will have to keep this in mind if I make it to the farmer’s market this summer!
san
August 13, 2018 at 10:55 amMy co-worker definitely has zucchini overload this year too… but that’s why we get lucky in the office that she brings in some of her harvest :)
Charlotte
August 10, 2018 at 7:40 amThis looks SOO VERY GOOD!!! I never have lemon extract on hand either, but I do love me a good zucchini bread so will have to try :) Thanks for sharing, and hope you have a wonderful weekend! XO
san
August 13, 2018 at 10:55 amI think I’ll make sure I have lemon extract on hand from now on :)
DAnielle
August 10, 2018 at 1:30 pmThis looks delicious!!!
san
August 13, 2018 at 10:56 amIt was! Give it a try! :)
anthea
August 14, 2018 at 4:27 amThis looks absolutely delicious! So nice of your colleague to share!