Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you squeeze out the liquid from zucchini for bread? ›

Squeezing is optional.

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.

But how do you make a great loaf? These tips can help. 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.

Don't slice zucchini bread until you're ready to enjoy it; slicing will allow the bread to dry out quicker. Glazing your bread will also keep it moister.

You Over-Mix the Batter

For soft and tender banana bread, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry — don't overmix! The more you stir, the more gluten will develop. The result will be a tough, rubbery banana bread. Simply stir until moist, and then do no more.

The bread was sinking in because the leavening was wrong. It seems likely that the amounts of baking powder and baking soda were switched. Where you were using 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, the actual measure should be 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

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 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.

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

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. With small zucchinis, the tiny seeds aren't an issue.

Why is my zucchini bread batter thick? ›

Zucchini's texture and water content make it perfect for incorporating into thick-batter quick breads. As the zucchini cooks in the batter, it releases its water into the surrounding batter, keeping the cake moist.

Banana bread recipes typically ask you to use overripe bananas so that they're easier to mush. This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet.

Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time. Add a tablespoon of extra flour at a time into the batter and give it a good whisk until its consistency starts to look right: thick but runny enough to fall off a spoon.

When it comes to baking, you want bananas covered all over in brown spots that smell very fragrant. These are signs that the banana is fully ripe, although you can wait longer until the bananas are completely brown or even black on the outside for the most flavor.

For some recipes, that extra water is not needed and could even ruin what you're trying to make. Adding drained shredded zucchini to baked goods, or even zucchini pancakes will make the dish fluffy and not mushy.

Place shredded zucchini on top of cheesecloth and squeeze out as much water was you possibly can. Place zucchini shreds in a mason jar (pack it pretty tight) or a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.