It's summertime and you've likely taken your chances with growing a garden that's just produced its final harvest in the month of August. If your green thumb the family group chat has been hearing about all year is indeed true, you're even more likely to have an obnoxiously large zucchini hiding in the depths of your soil beds. And guess what? The fam might luck out with a product from your bountiful harvest because you just stumbled upon a recipe to put that zucchini to use.
Let's back it up a minute here. Hoping you enjoyed that fictional opening because I do not have a garden of my own. In fact, I kill every plant within a 3-mile radius of my presence. I can barely keep a succulent alive, which requires absolutely zero attention, so the bar is LOW. I do, however, have generous friends that are adulting much harder than me (they're homeowners!), who also know how to tend a garden that yields luscious zucchinis.
My zucchini supply chain system: Friend has green thumb. Friend grows zucchini. Friend gives Cath zucchini. Cath curates recipe. Cath likely features your zucchini on her IG/TikTok. Bread is made. Friend receives a loaf of bread. Moral of the story: your garden is now our garden.
The time is now to rinse your zucchinis and grab a lemon that adds flare to this particular bread. The zucchini is used for moisture, while the glaze melts into each crevice of the bread, sealing it with a sweetness to counteract the tart lemon flavor.
May this bread become a new end-of-summer tradition, may it allow you to fake a green thumb moment, and as always, may the inspiration found here find light in your kitchen.
XO//CATH
The recipe
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lemon extract
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
for the glaze...
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon extract
2 Tbsps milk
How to make it happen:
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
In a large bowl, add sugar, zucchini, sour cream, olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly until combined.
Fold in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Line a bread loaf pan with coconut oil and parchment paper. Bake at 325ºF for about 1 hour 10 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean from bread.
While bread is baking, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze and set aside.
Remove bread from oven once baked and let cool for about 10 mins.
Starting from the center, pour glaze over bread and work slowly to the edges. Glaze should slightly melt into the loaf, but if it runs off too quickly your bread is too hot. Once glazed, allow it to set for about 20 mins before serving.
Enjoy warm out of the oven or my unpopular opinion, cold from the fridge!