FOOD: Zucchini & Lemon Breakfast Bread

Hello! Lauren from Perpetually Chic here today, sharing a recipe from my mother-in-law’s kitchen to yours. You’ve likely noticed at the market that zucchini is in season? There are millions of ways to use your zucchini, but one of my favorites is this zucchini-lemon bread. It’s perfectly moist, not too sweet, and has just a hint of lemon for a fresh twist—I love eating this bread with coffee in the morning, but it’s also VERY hard not to sneak a piece as an afternoon snack, too! Keep reading for the recipe…

Zucchini & Lemon Breakfast Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

Zest of half a lemon + juice of half a lemon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch pans or two muffin tins. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a bowl, combine shredded zucchini, lemon zest, lemon juice and chopped walnuts. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

4. In a third bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together until well combined.

5. Add your bowl of sifted ingredients into the egg-sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in the zucchini-lemon-nut mixture until everything is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pans or muffin tins.

6. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center of your bread or a muffin comes out clean. Time will vary based on whether you use the bread pans or muffin tins. Let the pans or muffin tins cool on a rack for 20 minutes…if you can!

7. If you want to freeze the second loaf or some of the muffins, just wrap them individually with Saran wrap and place in a freezer Ziploc bag. To thaw, just let sit on the counter until they come to room temperature.

*Photos and recipe by Lauren Craig