High Altitude Zucchini Bread

A high altitude version of the always popular zucchini bread. This High Altitude Zucchini Bread is so easy to make. It's moist and filled with lots of shredded zucchini and spices. Perfect for breakfast, a snack or even dessert.

This is my go-to recipe for zucchini bread! This High Altitude Zucchini Bread is deliciously spiced, sweet and super moist. Plus it's loaded with lots of shredded zucchini. If you've never tried zucchini bread before, it's really just a spiced quick bread with shredded zucchini mixed into the batter. It's essentially the same idea as carrot cake but in breakfast bread form.

This recipe is perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a snack. It's a delicious way to get your veggies in a slice. This zucchini bread is dense, moist and full of spices!

Why You'll Love this High Altitude Zucchini Bread

• Super moist and flavorful
• This is a superfood breakfast bread! Zucchini adds more than just vitamins.
• Enjoy a slice at any time of the day - breakfast, lunch or as a snack.
• Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients

See recipe card for quantities.

Ingredient Notes

• Applesauce: Can use plain or cinnamon. Makes the zucchini bread extremely moist. Cinnamon applesauce provides even more spice.
• Butter: Use melted butter for a soft texture and but also provides flavor that vegetable oil doesn't.
• Sugar: I use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe. The dark brown sugar adds extra moisture to the zucchini bread and the molasses in the brown sugar activates the baking soda.
• Eggs: binds all the ingredients together. Take the eggs out 30 minutes before starting the recipe to bring the eggs to room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: for extra flavor. I recommend using a high quality vanilla extra or at least pure vanilla extract for best flavoring.
• Zucchini: recommend smaller zucchini as they tend to have better flavor while large zucchini are more flavorless and have more water content.
• All-Purpose Flour: This provides the structure for the zucchini bread. Just be sure to spoon and level your flour when you’re measuring it so you don’t end up with too much.
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder: leavening agents to make our bread rise.
• Spices: Cinnamon, fresh ginger, ground nutmeg, ground clove, ground cardamom gives the bread a delicious spice flavor. If you don't have a lot of spices on hand use just a tablespoon of cinnamon at least.
• Salt: The salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the breakfast bread. I like to use either kosher salt or finely ground sea salt.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Shred zucchini by hand or using a food processor with a shredding blade. Then, place the zucchini in cheese cloth or tea towel along with some salt, place in a bowl and set aside.
2. Let the zucchini drain liquid for about 10-30 minute. Squeeze out all excess water, measure 1 & ½ cups packed shredded zucchini and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Next, in a bowl, mix together applesauce, melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with either a hand mixer or by hand.

5. Next, add in eggs one at a time and vanilla to the bowl and mix until well combined.
6. Then, add in shredded zucchini and mix in by hand to the batter using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.

7. Next, add in all dry ingredients and gently fold into batter until combined using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Optionally, sift all the dry ingredients in if flour and spices are clumped together.
8. Pour batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

9. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 65-75 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack in the loaf pan. Let it cool for 10-20 minutes in the pan. Then remove pan and let it continue to cool on the cooling rack until room temperature. Then, slice and serve.

Expert Tips

• Properly Measure Flour: If you just dip your measuring cup into a bag of flour, chances are you have way too much flour due to packing. I keep a small digital scale to accurately measure flour BUT you can also use the spoon and level method too if you don't have a scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour within your flour bag or container. Then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and finally use the straight edge of a knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.
• Don't Overmix: Overmixing can make your zucchini bread tough or bake unevenly. That's why in the recipe, I mix the zucchini and dry ingredients by hand to lessen that chance.
• Wooden Skewer Test: when you zucchini bread is toward the end of its bake, make sure to insert a wooden skewer into the center of the zucchini bread. When you pull the wooden skewer out, you want it with a few moist crumbs or completely clean to indicate its finished baking. If there is any wet batter, it needs to continue to bake.

Recipe FAQs

Storing

I wrap my zucchini bread in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container at room temperature about 2-3 days. Zucchini bread can also be frozen! Allow it to cool completely, then wrap the loaf (or individual slices) tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-proof bag. When frozen zucchini bread will keep for several months.

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