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    Home » Recipes » American

    Updated: Jul 23, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto · 45 Comments

    Savory Zucchini Bread

    Easy, moist and tender zucchini bread with a herbs and big savory pockets of cheese.
    Recipe Pin

    The first time I ever had zucchini bread as I child, it kind of blew my mind. "Wow, you mean you can turn a vegetable into dessert?!" I said. A few dozen years later, remixing notions of what ingredients go together is my favorite way to create new dishes.

    This week's clearance basket from my local produce market, held a pair of battered (though still salvageable) zucchinis. Having gotten a little zucchinied out this summer, I resolved to turn them into a loaf of chocolate zucchini bread. Still, after a few days of holiday baking I wasn't really in the mood for something sweet and I had a lump of cheddar in the fridge that needed to be used before I head to Saudi Arabia for a few weeks.

    That's when I thought to myself "If you can surprise people by putting zucchini in a sweet bread, why not put it in a savory bread?", so that's exactly what I did. Vaguely reminiscent of a frittata, this bread uses a lot of eggs, giving it a moist crumb that's redolent of olive oil and thyme. Rather than mix in shredded cheese that would melt into oblivion, I wanted the cheese to have a big presence. That's why I cut the cheddar into big chunks, layering the blocks of cheese into the middle and on top of the bread.

    When it comes out of the oven, the cheese on top forms a crispy golden crust of browned cheese, while the chunks in the center leave hollow pockets in the bread lined with savory melted cheese. Unlike many baked goods, this one is definitely better the second day, so it's a great make-ahead brunch dish. When I made this, I wanted something simple that I could snack on and take on the plane with me, but if you're making this for brunch, adding crumbled sausage or bacon is fair game. This would also work great in a muffin tin because the batter is pretty thick.

    📖 Recipe

    Savory Zucchini Bread

    4 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 55 minutes mins
    Yield 1 loaf

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • 325 grams zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 3 large eggs
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 sprigs fresh thyme (stems removed and leaves minced)
    • 80 grams Cheddar cheese (cut into ⅓-inch cubes)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175C). Spread a thin layer of olive oil evenly onto every inner surface of a standard 9"x5" loaf pan. Dust with flour to coat evenly. This will keep your loaf from sticking to the pan once it's baked, so make sure you don't miss any spots. You can also line the inside of your pan with parchment paper.
    • Remove the ends of the zucchini, then shred it into a colander using the large side of a box grater. Add the salt and toss to distribute evenly. Leave the colander in the sink or over a bowl and allow the excess water to drain from the zucchini for at least 15 minutes.
    • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and paprika together.
    • In another bowl, whisk the eggs, olive oil and water together until the mixture has emulsified (combined) and it's light and frothy. Add the drained zucchini and thyme in with the egg mixture and stir to combine.
    • Dump the egg mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to fold everything together until the mixture is just combined. Be careful not to over-mix the batter or the bread will become tough.
    • Spread half the batter into your prepared loaf pan then add half the cheese. Add the rest of the batter and smooth off the top. Stick the remaining cheese on top, and then place the pan in the oven. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 45 minutes in a convection oven).
    • When the zucchini bread is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool completely.
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tina Dawson says

      October 13, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Hey Mark! Quick question - I am going to make this loaf for some co-workers for breakfast tomorrow. Since you said it tastes better the next day, I am going to make it a day ahead. So do I need to refrigerate it? or will it do well sitting on the counter for about 12-18 hrs? I also plan on adding onions and garlic. What do you think?

      Reply
    2. Marc Matsumoto says

      October 14, 2015 at 3:35 am

      Hi Tina, provided you're not in a very hot place, it should be fine outside. That said, I'm not a food safety expert, so please use your own best judgement.

      Reply
    3. Jennifer P. says

      December 15, 2015 at 10:03 pm

      I feel like such an idiot! I wondered why all recipes for zucchini bread contained so much sugar! I didn't realise it was supposed to be a dessert. Prefer veggies to be savory so going to try your recipe Marc

      Reply
    4. Marc Matsumoto says

      December 16, 2015 at 2:11 am

      Hi Jennifer, that's pretty understandable. Adding vegetables to sweet cakes/breads like carrot cake, zucchini bread, etc is more about adding moisture than about flavor, which is why they're often used in sweet baked goods. The zucchini serves the same purpose here.

      Reply
    5. Jennifer P. says

      December 16, 2015 at 2:21 am

      I feel like such an idiot! I wondered why all recipes for zucchini bread contained so much sugar! I didn't realise it was supposed to be a dessert. Prefer veggies to be savory so going to try your recipe Marc

      Reply
    6. Jennifer P. says

      December 22, 2015 at 10:04 pm

      Mm the bread was delicious! Thank you Marc. And the recipe actually worked without any modifications required which is pretty unusual!

      Reply
    7. Rebecca Wilson says

      November 01, 2016 at 11:36 pm

      I can't eat bread with yeast. I absolutely love this loaf and it's a sneaky way to feed kids veges. Am trying today as muffins as soup going to be ready before the loaf would have. Fingers crossed this works. I've also used spinach in this recipe and it works too & added red peppers. Thanks so much for this 🙂

      Reply
    8. Marc Matsumoto says

      November 01, 2016 at 11:57 pm

      Hi Rebecca, glad to hear you like it! Great idea making this as muffins, they should turn out well since they will have more surface area for the cheese to brown.

      Reply
    9. Cindy says

      April 04, 2019 at 1:25 pm

      Should I drain or squeeze the grated zucchini very well?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        April 04, 2019 at 3:41 pm

        Hi Cindy, salting and draining the zucchini in a colander is enough. You can shake off the excess liquid after letting it sit for a bit, but there's no need to squeeze it (in fact you want there to be some liquid left so the zucchini stays juicy).

        Reply
    10. Laurel says

      August 21, 2019 at 10:20 pm

      Can I add jalapeños to this?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        August 23, 2019 at 9:29 am

        Hi Laurel, that's a great idea! If you use canned ones, just be sure to drain them well.

        Reply
    11. oksana says

      August 13, 2022 at 3:52 am

      Just perfect! Thank you Marc!xxx

      Reply
    12. Mary Denihan says

      June 06, 2023 at 2:12 am

      Next time I’m cutting down on the salt

      Reply
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