Zucchini Bread

I always thought zucchini bread was suppose to taste like zucchini! Until one trip to my local market when I came across their bakery sampling slices of vegan zucchini bread and I ventured to taste it for the first time in my life. I was floored. "This doesn't taste like a vegetable?! It tastes like a moist, sugary, delicious spice cake!" Low and behold, this was the same week our zucchini plant was producing a crazy amount of squash and my lack of creativity in the ways of using zucchini had our freezer overflowing with homemade veggie burgers. Of course, this was a good thing for Scott and I who love our homemade veggie burgers (recipe here). But now our kitchen was filled with the smell of sweet cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves as I baked my first loaf of this newly discovered bread. It was a hit. I continued baking a loaf every week or two until I got the recipe just right to share with you all. See what torture we go through in order to deliver the very best recipes on here? We had to eat fresh veggie burgers night after night, stuff our faces with banana bread waffles every weekend for weeks, eat slice after slice of moist zucchini bread this summer, and don't even get me started on all the chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls we had to eat last Christmas in order to bring you the recipe! I know, I know, we suffer. (*eye wink*)

*The additional 1 1/2 cups of water towards the end of the recipe was added due to the use of coconut flour. If you do not use coconut flour and replace it with more oat flour instead - do not add this extra liquid.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour

3/4 cup oat flour

3/4 cup coconut flour or more oat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups raw turbinado sugar or brown sugar

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk unsweetened

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water*

2 heaping cups of shredded zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients in the first list (spelt flour through turbinado sugar). In another medium size mixing bowl, combine the water and ground flax. Stir well and let sit for a moment or two. Then add in the remaining wet ingredients (all but the zucchini). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Lastly, add the shredded zucchini. Stir well until fully incorporated. 

Pour the batter into a 9x5 inch loaf pan greased with coconut oil. Bake for 1 hour, then check by inserting a sharp knife or skewer into the center. If it does not come out clean, return the loaf to the oven and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Mine took the full hour and fifteen minutes before it was done. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and let fully cool on the counter top. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep on the counter for up to 5 days (or store in the refrigerator for about a week).

I love eating a slice warmed in a pan on the stove, and sometimes topped with a spread of Earth Balance butter. Scott loves icing his for desert, or topping a warmed slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Any way, you can't go wrong with this moist and delicious spice bread!