Easy Zucchini Bread (healthy recipe)

Ingredients

• Zucchini: freshly grated zucchini is needed for this recipe.
• White flour: you can use all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour. The latter doesn't have as much gluten as regular flour, so the bread might not rise as much.
• Whole wheat flour: use superfine flour, they type that has a similar consistency as regular flour.
• Baking powder and baking soda: they act as leaveners helping the bread to rise in the oven. Make sure they're not expired.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Sugar: you can use coconut sugar or organic fine muscovado sugar which are better than refined white sugar. But the latter can be used as well.
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• Oil: use coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (if you like baking with it). But you can use any vegetable oil like sunflower or canola oil.
• Pineapple: fresh or canned pineapple (without sugar), both work. It adds moisture.
• Walnuts.
• Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon. If you like nutmeg you might want to add a few fresh grindings of it also.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works. 

Steps to make zucchini bread

This is a very simple recipe, similar to old-fashioned muffins where the dry ingredients are combined in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another and then both are combined. No need to beat. A spatula or spoon is enough.

Put dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the grated zucchini and mix.

Combine both preparations and mix *just* until integrated. Don't overdo it.

Add chopped pineapple and walnuts. Fold them in lightly.

Baking zucchini bread: using the right-sized pan is essential for the batter to rise well and bake fully without overflowing or drying out too much.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Zucchini: grate it with a coarse grater (large holes) or in the processor, as I do. Be careful not to make a zucchini paste if processing them. But make sure they are minced. This recipe doesn't work well if you coarsely chop the zucchini.
• Flour: you can use only all-purpose or cake flour, but I think that adding a part of whole wheat flour makes it richer. Make sure it is superfine for best results. I use one that is almost as fine as all-purpose. If you use a coarser whole wheat flour the bread will have a denser texture.
• Pineapple: I tried this recipe both with canned and fresh pineapple. The former gives better results, but, if you want to use fresh fruit anyway, the bread will still be very good but less sweet and with less depth of flavor. Make sure it is finely chopped.
• Nuts: walnuts are perfect for this recipe, but pecans work just as well. I haven't tried it with any other nut, though I think macadamias and hazelnuts would probably work.
• Keeping: this bread keeps for one or two days at room temperature. But be careful if the room is hot since the fruit might ferment and ruin the bread. If that is the case I suggest you keep it in the fridge, well wrapped. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a month. I like to cut it before freezing and take out as many slices as I need. Then warm it in the oven or toast it. It's great with cream cheese, or plain at room temperature.

You can make muffins

I use this recipe to make amazing zucchini pineapple muffins too (image below).

They are moist and sweet and just delicious in the morning, which is my favorite time for eating them. They don't even need a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Though you might want to add it if you want to increase the sweetness of the muffins.

Instructions: simply follow the recipe and use regular muffin tins with or without paper liners. Fill them ¾ full. It yields a lot, like 24 regular muffins, so consider halving the recipe or be prepared to freeze some. Unless you have a huge household or school bake sale.