I wanted to make a quick bread to take on our visit to my parents on Lake Champlain in upstate New York. I settled on a zucchini bread since I could get some fresh zucchini from B & H Organic Produce in Morgantown, PA (picked up at the Growing Roots Farmers Market in Malvern, PA). It was a good way to capture the last of the summer produce.
I have been making Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread for years – in fact it was an old recipe that I adapted when I stopped eating wheat (it can be made with gluten-free or all-purpose flour). While I like this old standby, I wanted to try something new. I was intrigued with this recipe as it had a variety of ingredients, including olive oil.
Zucchini contributes to the bread’s being so moist, but so does the olive oil and full fat Greek yogurt. Don’t shy away from using a flavorful extra virgin olive oil. Recently I have been baking with local non-GMO flour from Deed Creek Malthouse (also procured at the Growing Roots Farmers Market). I’ve been having good results with their flours and it hasn’t been aggravating my osteoarthritis. For this bread I used both their all-purpose and whole wheat flour. There’s also a secret ingredient – a small amount of grated Pecorino-Romano cheese. Don’t worry as it doesn’t turn the bread into a cheesy bread. It gives it a mild nutty flavor and pairs nicely with the extra virgin olive oil.
I made three loaves and froze them. The bread was a big hit with my parents. We also shared a loaf with family friends, Pat and Jake D – Pat wrote to say it was “absolutely delicious.” Just in case you were looking for a review.
I’ll leave you with this. Did you know that ‘zucchini’ in Italian is the masculine plural word? In English we use it for both one or many zucchini.
| Zucchini Olive Oil Bread | Print |
- ½ cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating baking pan
- ½ pound zucchini (1 medium)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 9x5 loaf pan with extra virgin olive oil (or olive oil spray).
- Coarsely grate zucchini using a box grater (large holes) or grating attachment on a food processor.
- In a large bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk extra virgin olive oil, honey, sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in grated zucchini.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients to combine.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. The pan should be about ¾ full (see Notes).
- Bake, rotating pan halfway through for 60 to 70 minutes. It is done when a wooden skewer inserted into bread comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and invert onto rack to cool completely.
- Serve bread at room temperature. Bread keeps for 3 days tightly wrapped at room temperature or frozen for up to 6 months.
* Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Source: Adapted from Kristin Donnelly’s Modern Potluck (2016)
This isn’t too different from my mother’s recipe, although I don’t think she EVER used olive oil and I know she didn’t include any cheese! And I think both ingredients would make it very special!
David – I love knowing it’s similar to something your mother made. I was definitely intrigued by the grated cheese.