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Celerity

(55,485 posts)
Mon Jul 6, 2026, 01:34 AM 8 hrs ago

Olive Oil Zucchini Bread


This moist loaf, made with olive oil and yogurt, is less sweet and more complexly flavored than most zucchini breads. Grated lemon zest gives a gentle brightness, while brown sugar adds a caramel sweetness, and cinnamon makes it spicy and rich. Serve slices plain or buttered, or spread thickly with cream cheese for a more tangy and luscious variation.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017522-olive-oil-zucchini-bread

https://archive.ph/R9VVS





When I create a new recipe for New York Times Cooking, it’s usually for one of three distinct reasons. The first is to meet demand for a holiday like Thanksgiving, which gets me knee-deep in mashed potatoes and turkey in the middle of July. The second is to fill a gap, say, when we noticed that we didn’t have recipes for Scottish tablet or flapjacks (the oat cookies, not the pancakes), both of which will be coming here soon.

And there’s a third, more personal reason: I just really want to eat the thing I make. Such was the case with my recipe for olive oil zucchini bread. I created it several summers ago when I had a pile of zucchini to use up and a hankering for something gently sweet and caky. The olive oil gives the loaf a slightly savory undertone but doesn’t take over, while the cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest give it an inimitable perfume. It’s just as good for breakfast, topped with cream cheese or cottage cheese, as it is for an afternoon snack with tea. And it’s perfect to bake as zucchini season rolls in.

Ingredients

Yield: One 8-inch loaf

Butter, for the pan

1 ½ cups/185 grams grated zucchini

⅔ cup/140 grams light brown sugar

⅓ cup/80 milliliters olive oil (or other oil such as safflower or canola)

⅓ cup/80 milliliters plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract

1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon/3 grams salt

½ teaspoon/3 grams baking soda

½ teaspoon/2 grams baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons/4 grams ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon/1 gram ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon/2 grams finely grated lemon zest

½ cup/55 grams chopped walnuts (optional)


Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch loaf pan.

Step 2
In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the grated zucchini, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract.

Step 3
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest and spices in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts if using.

Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 5
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a rack completely before cutting and serving.
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