This is a lovely quick bread made with the added goodness of zucchini, oats, and pistachios. Zucchini and pistachios impart a lovely green color to this soft and moist loaf.
Zucchini or courgette is very versatile summer squash. It is a favorite of backyard gardeners. If you happen to have one or two plants it is pretty much guaranteed that there will be enough vegetables for you and your friends!
There are many ways to cook them – grilled, sauteed, fried, baked, and curried just to name a few. Zucchini does not have any intense flavors either, any wonder it finds its way into fries, soups, curries, kabobs, and even desserts!
We love this zucchini loaf for breakfast or snack. It is soft and moist and easy to make. It is a quickbread and like the name suggests it take less time to make compared to yeast bread. Baking soda or powder are what makes the quick bread rise. This also means that once the ingredients are mixed the bread is to be baked immediately.
The addition of zucchini makes this bread moist. There is enough zucchini here to count towards your vegetable intake for the day! Zucchini does not have any strong flavors that interfere with the other flavors in the bread. It is a great way to add more healthy and nutritious ingredients to a breakfast treat.
Need a few more reasons to love this bread? Try these
Filling – There are oats and nuts in the recipe
Easy to make ahead – This bread freezes well and will stay fresh for up to 1 week when refrigerated.
Pretty – Zucchini and pistachios give this loaf a lovely green color.
Low sugar – I have used ¾ C raw sugar in this recipe. If you like to make it with even less reduce another ¼ C or substitute honey as an alternative sweetener.
Easy way to sneak in vegetables – this recipe uses a good amount of zucchini without a lot of sugar. This is a great way to add more vegetables to the diet.
Prepping Zucchini in this recipe
Coarse grate the zucchini. The idea is to trap moisture in every bit of the bread while keeping it soft. Grating it finely will draw out the moisture changing the consistency of the bread. The coarse side of a cheese grater is perfect for this job. If you notice the zucchini is oozing water (not the case usually) then pat dry the grated pieces and remove the excess moisture.
Leave the skin on! Zucchini’s skin is thin and softens even more after cooking. But that is not the main reason to leave them on. The wonderful green color of the skin is retained after cooking giving the loaf the pale green color. Just wash it well pat dry before grating.
How much zucchini
Zucchini comes in different sizes. After grating one or two measure the required amount after grating. When measuring be careful not to pack the zucchini tightly in the cup. You can use little less grated zucchini than the recipe calls or increase by a ½ cup, but do not add any more.
Pistachios
I love the pistachios here. It adds a bit of texture and complements the green color. I prefer Pistachios for the color and the complementary taste. Walnuts and almonds are other good options. For a nut-free version, just leave it out and do not change anything else in the recipe.
Want to make it healthier?
Well, it is healthy enough – but if it helps don’t add sugar in the topping and reduce the sugar in the loaf to ½ C.
Storage
Once the loaves are cooled these can be tightly wrapped and frozen (sliced or whole) for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge before using it.
A side note on mixing
This is a quick bread (made with baking soda /powder and not yeast). The batter for quick breads likes to be left alone. In other words, while you can mix the living daylight out of the wet ingredients, as soon as the flour joins the party you turn on the lazy mode. So fold in the flour (and anything else that comes after) evenly into the wet ingredients with as few turns of the spatula as possible.
Overworking the batter creates a more chewy, dense loaf rather than a soft one In addition a loaf that sinks in the middle while cooling can often be tied to an overworked dough.
Zucchini Oat Bread
Equipment
- 9” x 5″ loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 C All Purpose Flour
- 3 C Zucchini Coarsely grated
- 1 C Rolled Oats
- 3 Eggs large
- 1/2 C Chopped Pistachios optional
- 1/2 C Vegetable Oil
- ¾ C raw Sugar
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Tsp Baking powder
- Non-stick vegetable oil spray
Topping
- 2 Tbsp Pistachios finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Raw Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Rolled oats
Instructions
Prepare the batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray one 9 X5 loaf pan (See note) with oil and dust with flour.
- Grate the zucchini and measure 3 cups, unpacked. Chop the pistachios coarsely.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder together. Mix in the oats and chopped pistachios.
- In another bowl beat the eggs well. Add the oil and sugar and beat until the mix feels thickened and increases in volume slightly. Add half the dry mix to this and fold in gently. Add the grated zucchini and fold in. Finally, fold in the remaining flour mix.
Make the topping (optional)
- Mix in the finely chopped pistachios, sugar, and the rolled oats.
Bake
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and spread the topping evenly on top.
- Bake at 350 °F for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out dry.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- 2 smaller loves of size 81/2 X 4 ½
- If making smaller loaves the cooking times will have to be lowered.
- Ovens vary, check at around 50 minutes mark to prevent overcooking.
Nutrition
Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.
