To say I went crazy buying zucchini would be an understatement. Despite having zoodles, zucchini pistachio lime cake, grilled zucchini, and grain-free zucchini pancakes, I still had some zucchini I needed to eat before it went bad. I spotted this recipe for zucchini herb bread, and I had to give it a try. It was my first time making zucchini bread with yeast, but definitely won’t be my last!
This is a savory zucchini bread. I used dried herbs, but I think you could probably use any herbs you prefer (dried or fresh). I almost added some shredded cheese (remember my zucchini cheese biscuits?..yum), but didn’t. I may add some next time. I think the herb-cheese combination would be delicious too. (I imagine a more traditional, sweet zucchini bread would be delicious as a yeast bread too…or maybe zucchini sweet rolls? Yum!) As with most zucchini recipes, you don’t really taste the zucchini – it just adds moisture. I was in dire need of some kitchen therapy anyway, and baking some yeast bread was just what I needed. My house smelled amazing and I had some awesome zucchini bread to eat for the next couple days. (It makes a mean grilled cheese too!) Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Zucchini Herb Bread
3/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp honey
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 to 2-1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups grated zucchini (~1 medium)
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp salt
1. Combine the warm water, honey and yeast in small bowl. Allow the yeast to work for ~5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, wheat flour, zucchini, oil, herbs and salt. Add the yeast mixture and knead until smooth, by hand or in a mixer with a bread hook (2 minutes on setting one and 2 minutes on setting two). Add remaining 1/2 cup flour if necessary. (You want dough to form a loose ball but still be kind of sticky. If you add too much flour, your bread will not rise properly.) Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size.
3. Remove from the bowl and knead 1 to 2 minutes by hand. Place in a bread pan and let rise again until almost doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the loaf until golden brown and the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes.Brush top with butter. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
*adapted from Food Network
