The Best Zucchini Bread (2024)

FAQs

What causes my zucchini bread to fall in the middle? ›

As the bread or cake cooks, those air bubbles make it rise, but because they are unstable, the bread or cake then collapses as it sits. Try mixing with a gentler touch: use medium, not high, speed on the electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly in between each addition.

Cooling the bread on its side on a cooling rack gives the bread's structure an opportunity to stabilize, making it less likely to fall. Oh, and while you're at it — leave your loaf of bread on its side to slice it, which will also help prevent you from smushing the dome.

Don't peel the zucchini – Yes, it's tempting to remove the zucchini's skin, but there is no need to do that. Zucchini melts into the bread, so peeling is just an unnecessary step. Do grate the zucchini – I don't know about you, but when it comes to zucchini in bread, I want it there – but I don't want to see it.

You just want to wrap it tightly or keep it in an airtight container, so it doesn't get stale. If your bread is still hanging around after 3 days, you might want to refrigerate it. It should last in the fridge for at least a week, if not a few days longer. You can also freeze it!

Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.

But unless your zucchini is excessively juicy, squeezing the squash could be removing some of the moisture you really do want in the bread. It's up to you, though. Squeeze for lighter, drier bread. Leave it as is for denser, moister bread.

We'll go over this in more detail below, but in short - If you're looking for the safest way to store zucchini bread - just refrigerate it. Seal your bread in a plastic storage container or plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator.

You can combat this by baking longer, or upping the temp a bit. If the oven temp is not the issue, then start adding a tablespoon or two less liquid to your batters (you may live in a humid climate and your flours may be absorbing moisture; too much moisture can make for a gummy product).

You need 2 cups of grated zucchini for the recipe, so you will need about 3 small zucchini, 2 medium zucchini, or 1 large zucchini.

Secure the box grater in one hand and the stem end of the zucchini in the other. Using the side of the box grater with the largest holes, grate the zucchini until only the stem remains. (If you need finely shredded zucchini, use the side of the box grater with the smaller holes.)

Why won't my zucchini bread rise? ›

But a common problem bakers face is flat zucchini bread. Food chemist Shirley Corriher suggests making sure the baking powder is fresh -- and using less leavening.

Additionally, larger zucchinis don't taste as good, with a more bitter flavor. They can also have larger seeds. These large seeds can throw off the texture of your zucchini bread.

It is important to thoroughly coat the sides and bottoms of the pan with solid shortening or non-stick cooking spray, particularly in the corners. A missed spot will result in sticking. Use a nonstick baking pan.

For recipes like banana bread, lemon loaf, or pound cake, your best bet is to bake in a metal loaf pan. Metal is a quick and efficient conductor of heat. This helps to ensure your recipe will cook through the center and not collapse. Avoid using dark-colored pans as they brown way more quickly and aggressively.

Some ovens run hotter than its settings, some cooler. If the oven is too hot the loaf will be brown and crispy on the outside but doughy in the middle and may collapse as it cools. When bread is baked at too low a temperature it will not rise enough in the oven resulting in a dense and sunken loaf.

Assuming that her oven temperatures are accurate and her mixing is proper, the first thing that occurs to me is that the liquid-to-flour ratio is off. This could mean too much fat, zucchini that's too wet, too much sugar or too little flour. It could also, though, be that she's using the wrong size eggs.

Bread that rises, then collapses in the middle as it bakes -- the infamous “crater bread” -- contains too much liquid. Adjust your formula. Adding a couple of teaspoons of flour along with the raisins/nuts helps the dough in the machine to “open up” and accept whatever you're adding more easily.