I love a delicious zucchini bread recipe about as much as the next person! When I was recipe testing this zucchini quick bread, I knew I wanted a couple of things: brown butter, dark brown sugar and full-bodied spices for mega flavor.
I also wanted this zucchini loaf to have lots of moist and bouncy texture. Lucky us, all of this adds up to the ultimate zucchini bread recipe!
When I finally nailed this recipe, we could not stop eating it straight from the pan!!
The brown butter is an extra step, but worth it. I also don’t want you to skip the Demerara sugar over the top!! It bakes up to the most beautiful crunchy top (see photos!) that contrasts perfectly with the soft, plush zucchini bread!
I hope you love this best zucchini bread recipe as much as we do!
Wow, wow, WOW. This zucchini bread is just wonderful!! After my usual zucchini bread recipe failed me twice in the last month and left us craving this delicious summer classic, I decided to try your recipe this morning and we are not disappointed! . . . Thank you for our new family-favorite zucchini bread recipe!
—Steph
The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!
My Favorite Pro Baking Tips for Making Perfect Zucchini Bread
Let your brown butter cool a bit before mixing it with the cake batter.
Set the butter in the freezer to cool off before moving forward with the recipe. Just a short 15 minutes will do the trick! You can grate the zucchini and get out your ingredients while it cools down.
Let the zucchini loaf cake batter sit for 15 minutes before popping it in the oven.
This short rest allows the flour to relax a bit, some moisture to be absorbed by the flour and get a nice rise over the top of the cake when baked.
Don’t skip the Demerara topping!
I mean, you can. But it’s sooo incredibly delicious over the top in terms of taste and texture, you don’t want to miss out!
PRO TIP: Don’t over mix the quick bread batter once you add the flour. Mix until barely combined and you still see streaks of flour! Then add the finely grated zucchini mixing again, until just combined. The final crumb of the zucchini bread will be tight, but light and bouncy.
Step-by-Step Instructions With Photos for
the Best Brown Butter Zucchini Bread Ever!
More Delicious Quick Bread Recipes!
If you like this, you’ll also love Double Chocolate Banana Bread (swoon) and this gorgeous Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake! You can find all of the quick bread and loaf cake recipes here!
Enjoy this easy zucchini bread recipe!
THE BEST Ultra Moist Brown Butter Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Brown Butter
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter yielding about (104 g) of brown butter
For the Brown Butter Zucchini Bread
- 2 cups (240 g) fresh zucchini finely grated; 2 to 3 small zucchinis
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) dark brown sugar packed; you can use light brown sugar as well
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) any delicious cooking vegetable oil sunflower, grape seed and olive oil all work great!
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla paste or real vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 large eggs cold
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) whole milk room temperature
- 2 1/3 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
To Garnish
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) Demerara sugar to sprinkle over the top of the zucchini bread pre-bake
Instructions
For the Brown Butter
- Place 10 tablespoons (140 g) of butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium-high. Stand by, continuously stirring and watching. Small golden bits will start to settle on the bottom of the pan. Once this happens, remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl to cool until closer to room temperature. (For more details on browning butter, check out my How to Perfectly Brown Butter tutorial)
For the Zucchini Bread
- Place finely grated zucchini on several layers of towels. You don't need to press out the excess moisture. Just let the towels soak up any moisture that drains off. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC); grease a 9 x 5–inch (23 x 13–cm) loaf pan and line with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the long sides of the pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cooled brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and mix on medium until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- With the machine on low, add the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is incorporated before adding the second. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.
- Add the flour to the quick bread batter in two batches, alternating with the milk and mixing each addition until just barely combined and you still see streaks of flour. Finally, fold in the zucchini and mix until it's distributed evenly throughout the batter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes.
To Garnish & Bake
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan several times on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Sprinkle the Demerara evenly over the top of the zucchini bread and bake in the center of the oven for 60 to 70 minutes* or until the cake is puffed up and lightly bronzed and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with some moist crumbs, but no wet batter. Remember, it will continue to bake as it cools.*65 minutes is perfect in my oven.
- Let the zucchini quick bread cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Run a butter knife along the edge of the cake to release it from the pan; then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake out of the pan to finish cooling on the rack. This cake tastes delicious warm and even better at room temperature.
Notes
Mixer vs Your Arms
You can use an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment (as referenced in the recipe instructions), a handheld mixer, or use a spatula and large mixing bowl as demonstrated in the step-by-step photos above the recipe. Your choice!Dark or Light Brown Sugar
Feel free to use light brown sugar if that’s what you have available. If you’re at the store, grab the dark brown sugar…it’s a delight in this!Cinnamon
Yes, a full 1 tablespoon of cinnamon! I love the full cinnamon flavor in this!Why Cold Eggs?
Since your brown butter will most likely still be a bit warm when you start mixing the zucchini bread together, the cold eggs will cool everything off.Demerara Sugar
Demerara Sugar gives this zucchini quick bread its signature crunchy top. It’s gorgeous visually and also adds to the taste and texture of the cake. Demerara has a delicious molasses flavor that adds to the taste experience of the finished cake. Seek it out!Zucchini Bread Variation
For a twist, skip the Demerara sugar top and cover with my favorite cream cheese glaze. Halve the recipe for this loaf cake (using a scale will make this a breeze!).Add-Ins for Zucchini Bread
Feel free to add 1/2 cup (85 g) of chocolate chips or 1/2 cup (57 g) nuts (toasted & chopped walnuts or pecans would be delicious). Make sure your pan isn’t filled more than 3/4s filled. If you’re worried, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack beneath the loaf cake while it bakes to catch any overflow. Other delicious mix-ins include cranberries (really) and raisins.One Of My Favorite Loaf Cake Tips!
As tempting as it is to tear into a fresh-baked loaf of zucchini bread, I would love for you to wait until it has cooled completely and is at room temperature. The reason for this is that I think of loaf cakes and quick breads almost like steak. Weird, I know. But stay with me. When you first take a steak (or any meat) off of the heat, you want to let it sit so that the juices can relax and redistribute around the meat so that each bite is juicy. If you cut into it too soon, you loose a lot of the juice/moisture all over your plate. The same can be said for a loaf cake or quick bread. When you cut into it while it’s still warm and steam escapes, you’re letting a lot of moisture escape. Moisture I’d rather have in every slice of zucchini bread. I also swear, this tastes better once it’s cool. And even better the next day!Storing Zucchini Bread
Store the zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. If it’s especially hot and. humid, consider storing it in the refrigerator. Zucchini Bread freezes like a dream! You can freeze the whole loaf or slices. Either way, make sure it’s wrapped tightly and stored in an airtight container to protect it from freezer burn. Defrost in whole frozen loaf in the fridge overnight and then set on the counter to come to room temperature before serving. If you froze slices of the brown butter zucchini bread, just set the slices on the counter and they’ll come to room temperature pretty quickly. Looking for more zucchini recipes? Check out my Mom’s Spiced Zucchini Relish (it’s so good!!).The post THE BEST Ultra Moist Brown Butter Zucchini Bread Recipe appeared first on DisplacedHousewife.
