The zucchini bread recipe from Barefoot Contessa seems so easy to make, but it’s one of those misleading foods that seems like a piece of cake to pull off, then you mess it up once, then twice, and then you simply give up. It doesn’t have to be this way. Learning the basic steps to pay attention to can be easy-breezy.
Zucchini bread is a versatile classic; it can be savory or sweet, light or dense, the main course, dessert, or a side dish. It can be lean, fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, or it can be the polar opposite, calorie-dense, rich, and sweet.
There are so many zucchini bread recipes on the internet that it’s difficult to pick the best ones. It’s best to go with a well-known and trustworthy gourmet expert who understands the intricacies of each meal. One of them is the Barefoot Contessa.
How long does it take to make the Barefoot Contessa Zucchini bread?
Zucchini bread needs around 20 minutes of active labor and an hour of passive baking. There are critical steps in the first 20 minutes, and it may take you a little longer initially. Allow 90–100 minutes total to create this dish comfortably.
If this is your first time preparing zucchini bread, read and follow all the secrets and suggestions throughout this tutorial. Don’t start experimenting with ingredients straight away because you’ll most likely ruin the zucchini bread.
What is the best temperature to bake the bread?
The best temperature to bake traditional zucchini bread is between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It strikes the ideal balance between making the outside somewhat golden and the inside soft but not mushy.
People enjoy food in a variety of ways. But what about zucchini bread? Not so much. Good zucchini bread is the same for everyone.
The results of your recipe may vary slightly depending on the type of oven you use.
In certain circumstances, even the baking pan can affect the outcome. Some argue that glass baking pans, for example, require a slightly lower oven temperature. It’s best to know your oven and, if necessary, use an oven thermometer.
What do I need for this recipe?
Zucchini bread isn’t something out of the ordinary. However, it can take on a variety of flavors. The ingredients are the same as in any other fast bread or cake.
At home, use flour, eggs, seasoning, your preferred oil or fat, and, of course, zucchini. This recipe is available in a wide range of flavors, from salty to sweet. Some combine it with chocolate chips and mint, while others with carrot cake or avocado.
Later on, play around with them and combine your favorite flavors and ingredients.
Zucchini Bread Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
- ½ cups Grated zucchini (2 times)
- cups All-purpose flour
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Melted butter, unsalted
- ½ tbsp Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom
Instructions
- Wash, peel, deseed, and shred your zucchini.
- Let the zucchini drain, even manually press out the moisture from them.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a loaf pan with butter, and flour it evenly everywhere. Beat the eggs with sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Add all the ingredients, except the zucchini, and mix them well.
- Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before folding in the zucchini.
- Gently mix them in. Depending on the size, the bread mixture will probably fill two loaf pans comfortably.
- Bake them for 50 minutes to an hour in a preheated, 350-degree oven.
- Let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Never cover them while still hot.
How do I know when the contessa zucchini bread is done?
Start checking the zucchini bread for doneness after about an hour of baking. It’s best to begin it before the hour, approximately 50 minutes into the baking.
Use the tried-and-true toothpick method. Prick it into the thickest section of your bread to see whether it clings to the toothpick. The toothpick should be clean. However, don’t make the mistake of quickly increasing the heat to get it done faster. The texture will be off.
Moisture is the source of the difficulties in baking zucchini bread.
Before adding the vegetables to your loaf, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Allow it to drain ahead of time, and even manually press out the extra water with paper towels, a clean kitchen towel, or your hands.
If you neglect this step, the bread may not bake evenly and become mushy in the middle.
Tips and tricks for a better recipe
There’s a lot of bad zucchini bread out there, even in stores, so let’s start from the beginning.
Brown sugar makes the texture gummy, similar to banana bread, so use white sugar instead. If you want the best texture, don’t only use oil; mix in some butter as well.
The bread will be overcooked, mushy, overly soft, and flat if the zucchini is not drained. It’s perfectly fine to rebake an undercooked zucchini bread that has already cooled.
If the bread collapses after it cools down, it means the ingredients were mixed too quickly, using too much power, letting excessive air into the loaf mixture. Gently mix them, leaving the drained zucchini for last.
Regularly using too much nonstick oil spray can build up on the pans, getting the bun stuck in the pan. Before starting the cooking process, wash the loaf pan with hot water.
Some additions to elevate your zucchini bread are dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, mint, citrus peels, matcha powder, pistachios, and figs.
What flour should I use?
When trying a new recipe for the first time, stick to things you are already familiar with as much as you can. Later on, you can still change things as much as you like.
That doesn’t mean you have to bake everything from now on with plain all-purpose flour on the first try. Zucchini bread can be made using a wide range of ingredients, including flour. Most types of flour go well with zucchini bread, though some are quite surprising.
- Aside from all-purpose flour, almond flour is arguably the most common substitute. The texture is really close, and you won’t be able to tell the difference.
- Corn flour, on the other hand, will make it quite different, a little rustic and spicier, but it’s worth a try.
- Chestnut flour and oat flour are two lesser-known ingredients.
Both will give your bread a different texture and flavor. Some pastry cooks use a few tablespoons of bamboo flour to improve fluffiness, as it contains a lot of fiber.
Can I replace some ingredients?
On the first try, stick to the recipe to test the waters. However, you might have some allergies or simply detest some ingredients.
- For a gluten allergy, switch to almond flour to get a very similar loaf. If you have an egg allergy, buy a vegan egg substitute powder. That’ll do the trick perfectly.
- You can also double the baking powder; in that case, add some more water to the loaf mixture as well. Not much, just a little.
- To lower the fat content, leave off the butter and replace it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with some sour cream or yogurt.
The overall consistency will be different, but the zucchini loaf will still be excellent. To achieve an equal texture, always combine the wet components first, followed by the flour and everything else.
This loaf can also be made with shredded carrots or yellow squash instead of zucchini. Carrots have naturally high sugar content, so use some of that extra sugar to your advantage. It’s mild and slightly sweeter than zucchini, just like yellow squash. You’ll need the same quantity of both as you would of zucchini.
Final Words
The best thing you can do with zucchini bread is to serve it hot with some good butter on top. On a cold morning, it’s an entire experience with a wonderful cup of tea or coffee. In the fall, zucchini is in season, which is ideal for this comfort food, which is best seasoned with aromatic spices.
This loaf may be elevated to a whole new level by infusing it with orange black tea, cardamom, or other exquisite spices.
Zucchini bread is dense, but it shouldn’t be too dense. That means you didn’t beat the eggs properly, mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately. Or didn’t drain the moisture from the veggies. To ease the doubters, this warm and earthy dish does not taste like zucchini. It tastes heavenly.
So, what did you think about the zucchini bread recipe from Barefoot Contessa? Please, feel free to leave your opinion in the comments below!
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