It’s Friday.

Let the zucchini bread games begin.

You already have 2 zucchini bread recipes, but I have another 3! They are the more traditional quick bread you are used to. I had two semi-failed loaves.

The first is pictured below. The flavor was great, but the texture was off. Slightly dry and chewy.

However, it was still more than edible. This loaf is loooong gone.

I knew the texture could be improved, and on trial two, it was.

In the first attempt, I used a combination of sucanat [dehydrated sugar cane juice] + brown rice syrup, for sweetening the loaf. I also used a combination of oat + buckwheat flours. These were the ingredients I wanted to adjust for trial #2.

My first thought was to increase the brown rice syrup and decrease the sucanat. This would keep the sweetness the same, but add more moisture to the loaf. I also thought back to my donut recipes, and decided to add some brown rice flour to lighten things up and improve the texture.

Both of those adjustments worked!

This first recipe has no problem holding together, which is a common issue with gluten free baked goods. It has a very similar taste + texture to traditional zucchini bread, while much lower in oil + sugar. The brown rice syrup is crucial in keeping this bread extremely moist.

I love the cracking on top and the thick, crunchy, crust it created. After all of the loaves I made, you will still find me shoveling piece after piece, into my mouth.

If you’re looking for a traditional-style loaf of zucchini bread, this is your recipe!

I enjoyed this recipe much more than the wheat-based recipe I made last year. Success! Chris has even swayed from his every-single-day PB+J breakfast, to eating this for breakfast instead!

Zucchini Bread v.1

gluten-free // yields 1, 8x4 loaf

3/4 cup raw buckwheat flour [made from grinding raw groats in my blender]
3/4 cup gf oat flour [made from grinding gf steel cut oats or gf rolled oats into flour]
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup grated zucchini, drained
2 large eggs
4 tablespoon sunflower oil [melted coconut oil, or other]
2 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk [or other]
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup [or maple syrup/honey]
3 tablespoons sucanat
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350* and grease + flour or line a 8x4 loaf pan with parchment paper. To grease + flour, grease all sides of the pan and add 1-2 tablespoon of flour, knocking it around so all sides are covered. Turn the pan over your sink and tap all sides, so the excess falls out.
In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, except for the walnuts, and mix well.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs together then add in oil, applesauce, milk, brown rice syrup, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Mix in zucchini to the bowl of wet ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently, until just combined. Over-stirring will cause a gummy texture.
Gently fold in the walnuts and then pour into your pan and spread to even out.
Bake centered, on the middle rack for 40-48min. The top will be cracked and golden brown. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
Let sit in the pan to cool for 10min, before sliding a knife around the edge to release the loaf from the pan. If it seems to be sticking to the bottom, gently release it with the help of a flexible spatula.

Notes:

*high altitude ~5,000ft: oven: 375* milk: 4T baking powder: 1/2t + 1/8t

*Feel free to make this in a 9x5 loaf pan, 9x9, 8x8, in mini loaf pans, or even in muffin tins. Just remember all of those options will lower the cook time.

*The hardest part with loaves are being able to tell when they’re done. When you insert the toothpick, into the center of the loaf, you should be able to tell if the inside is still gooey. It may look clean when you pull it out, but also go on how it feels. Remember, it will cook slightly more when it’s out of the oven + cooling.