My Grandma's Zucchini Bread Recipe - Over 60 years old! (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade zucchini bread last on the counter? ›

Zucchini bread will keep for about 3 to 4 days stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container (or plastic bag). What is this? If your zucchini bread is on the normal/dry side, like a regular sandwich bread, it can be stored at room temperature.

If you've never grated zucchini before, it's super easy—just shred it on the large holes of a box grater. There's no need to peel the zucchini or remove the seeds. You also shouldn't press or squeeze any of the excess moisture out of it. You want all that to go into 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.

The most common reason for zucchini breadand other quick breads (and cakes) to collapse as they cool is the ingredients are too vigorously or quickly mixed, which incorporates lots of less stable air bubbles into the batter.

To determine if your zucchini bread has gone bad, check for any unusual odors or moldy spots, typically green or black in color. The texture can also be a giveaway; if it's overly moist or gummy, it's typically a sign that it's past its best.

Do Store Fresh Zucchini in the Fridge. If properly stored, zucchini will last up to a week. The best way to store zucchini is in the refrigerator, preferably in the crisper drawer, where humidity is kept to a minimum.

When sliced, 1 medium zucchiniyielded about 1 to 1.25 cups and if grated, you end up with about 2/3 cup of tamped down zucchini. If you need 1 cup of cooked sliced zucchini, due to shrinkage while heated it will take about 3 medium zucchini, sliced, to hit the mark.

The main issue here is that the bread just isn't cooked through. Zucchini bread batter is thick, and loaf pans are narrow and tall, so there is a lot of batter in a relatively small pan. The center will be the last to cook through, so pay special attention to this area when checking your bread for doneness.

Check your leavening agent

Adding too much or insufficient leavening agents: Adding too much leaveners will cause your quick bread to sink in the middle.

If you don't have baking soda, you can use baking powder, at three times what the recipe calls for. So if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, you can use three teaspoons of baking powder. Baking powder also contains a little bit of salt, so it's also a good idea to halve the salt the recipe calls for.

Should zucchini bread be cool before removing from pan? ›

Don't leave the loaf in the pan too long – Once you remove the bread from the oven, let it sit for 10 to15 minutes. But after that, it should be turned out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Otherwise, the edges can get a little too done in the still-hot pan.

Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.

One common reason some zucchini bread tastes bad is a recipe that uses baking soda without an acidic ingredient to neutralize it, which can result in a soapy or metallic taste.

Why does my zucchini bread come out dry? This is usually due to either not measuring ingredients carefully or over-baking the bread. Be sure to bake until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out with just a few tiny, tender crumbs attached.

The counter

Unlike a fully-frosted cake, bread needs to be covered, even at room temperature. So if you really don't want to put your bread in the freezer, try the bread box or plastic bag recommended above. Verdict: Leaving your bread on the counter makes for a nice Instagram photo of super-stale bread.

Where Is the Best Place To Store Bread? It turns out bread boxes aren't such a bad idea. "Homemade bread stored at room temperature will have the best quality if used within three to five days," Baker says. "Commercially prepared bread can be used within five to seven days.

Zucchini thrives in a dry environment, so pop it into the crisper drawer whole, preferably in a plastic or paper bag with one end open for ventilation. The minimal humidity will keep it from going bad. Stored properly, it'll last one or two weeks, though you'll probably see the skin shrivel as the days pass.