Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

If you grow zucchini or belong to a CSA, you know the problem: one plant produces more than any household can eat fresh. This loaf is the best use for the big ones that hid under a leaf for a week and got away from you — the grated zucchini disappears into the crumb, keeping the bread moist for days, while a simple lemon glaze on top keeps it from tasting like plain banana bread’s cousin.

Ingredients

For the bread:

• 2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 large or 2 medium, unpeeled)
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

2. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out excess moisture with a clean kitchen towel — you don’t need it bone dry the way you would for fritters, but pressing out a few tablespoons of liquid keeps the loaf from turning gummy.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Fold in the zucchini.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Overmixing makes the loaf tough.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too fast.

7. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

8. Whisk the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, adding more a teaspoon at a time until the glaze is pourable but not watery. Drizzle over the cooled loaf and let it set for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Tips

• Don’t peel the zucchini. The skin is tender and adds flecks of green through the loaf — peeling just makes extra work.
• A very large zucchini works fine here, unlike in salads. The seeds inside an oversized one can be a little tough; scoop them out with a spoon before grating if the zucchini is more than a foot long.
• Freezes well. Wrap the unglazed loaf tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw and glaze before serving.
• Add-ins: ½ cup chopped walnuts or a handful of blueberries both work well folded into the batter in step 5.

Where to find the ingredients

Zucchini is one of the most reliably abundant crops at Washtenaw County farms from July through August — if you’re on a CSA, expect it in your box regularly this time of year. Find it fresh from Tantre Farm, Community Farm of Ann Arbor, Jacob’s Fresh Farm, Green Things Farm, Blue Spring Farm, Whitney Farmstead, Old City Acres, Slow Farm Organic, Fusilier Family Farms, Seva Farm, and Rain Dance Organics. Lemons aren’t grown locally, but Argus Farm Stop is a good one-stop shop for the zucchini plus everything else in your pantry. Check the full farms directory or the farmers markets page for pickup options near you.