Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you leave the skin on zucchini when making bread? ›

Don't peel the zucchini – Yes, it's tempting to remove the zucchini's skin, but there is no need to do that. Zucchini melts into the bread, so peeling is just an unnecessary step. Do grate the zucchini – I don't know about you, but when it comes to zucchini in bread, I want it there – but I don't want to see it.

Yes! I simply squeeze the water out of the zucchini over the sink before using in this recipe. Sometimes, I squeeze the zucchini twice to make sure the excess water is removed. Some zucchini are very wet when grated and others relatively dry; squeezing out the excess water helps to regulate ingredients in the recipe.

Zucchini (along with squash, eggplant, and other “spongy” vegetables) have a very high water content. If you don't deal with that water, you can end up with a soggy mess.

You need 2 cups of grated zucchini for the recipe, so you will need about 3 small zucchini, 2 medium zucchini, or 1 large zucchini.

When sliced, 1 medium zucchiniyielded about 1 to 1.25 cups and if grated, you end up with about 2/3 cup of tamped down zucchini. If you need 1 cup of cooked sliced zucchini, due to shrinkage while heated it will take about 3 medium zucchini, sliced, to hit the mark.

Allow your bread to cool completely before slicing or storing. Slicing into hot bread releases steam, which is moisture from your bread. Doing so dries out your bread prematurely.

Grate your zucchini (no need to remove the peel) using either a box grater or a food processor with a grating attachment. Drape a clean dish towel over a large pot or bowl and place the shredded zucchini on top of the towel. When the bowl is 75% full, wring out the excess moisture into the bowl.

If it is too thick, add another egg. Add nuts, if desired. Lightly grease and flour your bread pans, or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully spoon the mixture into bread pans, stopping when the mixture is about 3/4 of the way to the top.

Vegetables with high water content tend to become mushy and bland if they aren't rid of excess moisture before cooking. To do that, you need two things: salt and time. Salting these watery vegetables draws out extra water and flavor molecules.

HOW TO STORE. This zucchini bread recipe should keep for at least 2 or 3 days at room temperature. You just want to wrap it tightly or keep it in an airtight container, so it doesn't get stale. If your bread is still hanging around after 3 days, you might want to refrigerate it.

Does zucchini need to be drained before baking? ›

For some recipes, that extra water is not needed and could even ruin what you're trying to make. Adding drained shredded zucchini to baked goods, or even zucchini pancakes will make the dish fluffy and not mushy.

Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.

Once the zucchini is caramelizing, you'll continue to cook it until it's until tender all the way through—a paring knife or a fork should slip in without much resistance—but not yet mushy.

Additionally, larger zucchinis don't taste as good, with a more bitter flavor. They can also have larger seeds. These large seeds can throw off the texture of your zucchini bread.

Grate, don't chop.

Here's how to grate a zucchini: Cut off the ends of the zucchini and rub it against the shredder side of a box grater to make a pile of squash that's perfectly sized for baking zucchini bread. You can also use the shredder blade in your food processor to quickly shred zucchini.

Refrigerate the breaded zucchini for at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours—it's just enough time to help the breading stick. Use a neutral oil for frying: Vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil are great for frying, but my hands-down favorite is olive oil—it's always handy and I like the taste.

But a common problem bakers face is flat zucchini bread. Food chemist Shirley Corriher suggests making sure the baking powder is fresh -- and using less leavening. There are few things more confounding or vexing in the kitchen than a dish gone wrong.