When Summer comes around and zucchini is abundant, put it to good use in this simple Sourdough Zucchini Bread recipe! Loaded with warm spices, sourdough discard, and ripe zucchini, you can't beat this zucchini bread!
In the Summer, zucchini is everywhere! If you have a garden, you are probably looking for every single recipe in order to use all the zucchini you have!
And if you make sourdough, you probably have some leftover starter in the fridge. Put them together and make this delicious, moist, and simple quick bread recipe!
Baking with sourdough discard is one of my favorite things to do! You can make baked sourdough donuts, sourdough scones, sourdough discard banana bread, sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough discard waffles, sourdough chocolate chip muffins, and even sourdough crackers with herbs and olive oil crackers!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make! No need to break out any equipment, this bread is mixed by hand and baked.
- It's a great use for your extra sourdough starter! Never throw out sourdough starter! It can be used to bake so many delicious sourdough discard recipes!
- It's a perfect bake ahead snack or breakfast! Make this loaf on a Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week!
What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and starter to a mason jar and let it rise.
You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out this post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.
Ingredients To Gather
- One large zucchini. Depending on the size of your zucchini, you can do one large or two small. You'll want 2 cups of shredded zucchini for this recipe.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda. This is the leavening agents for this bread. Even though we have sourdough starter in it, this baking soda and baking powder do the hard work.
- Cinnamon. To give this bread a warm, cozy flavor.
- Butter. Fat gives the bread structure and makes it extra moist.
- Eggs. Eggs also add structure to the bread.
- Sourdough discard. Inactive, meaning it is unfed. It should come straight from the refrigerator.
- Sugar. Sugar gives the bread some sweetness. You can use a cup of brown sugar instead of you prefer brown sugar.
Does Sourdough Zucchini Bread Taste Sour?
No. That is because unlike a sourdough bread, this loaf is not given the chance to ferment. The sourdough discard adds a bit of a tang to this bread, but it does not taste sour. The sourdough discard adds a bit of rise to the bread and is a great balance for the sweetness of the sugar.
If you want to intensify the sour flavor, simply make the batter and keep it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. That will activate the sourdough starter and give this loaf a more sour flavor.
How To Make Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Shred the Zucchini
First, you'll need to grate the zucchini. You can use a box grater or a food processor. To use a box grater, wash the zucchini and cut off the two ends. Carefully hold the zucchini in the middle and grate downwards on the box grater until the entire zucchini is grated.
If you are using a food processor, discard the two ends of the zucchini and cut the zucchini into large chunks. Close the lid and turn the food processor on and pulse until the zucchini is completely shredded.
Mix The Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Using a whisk or a fork, mix well to fluff up the flour and make sure the leavening ingredients are well mixed into the flour.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Mix well until fully combined. Add the eggs and sourdough starter. Fold in the shredded zucchini. Mix until fully combined. You can't overmix it at this point, so make sure everything is well combined.
Combine and Bake!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, but don't overmix. You want to make sure there are no dry patches in the batter, but if you overmix it, the batter will get dry and tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. To tell if the loaf is done, place a toothpick in the center of the loaf and if the center comes out clean, the loaf is done. If there is batter left on the toothpick, then the loaf needs 5-10 more minutes.
Hot Tip! To make sure the loaf does not stick to the pan, add a sheet of parchment paper to the loaf pan before pouring the batter in.
Step by Step Photos
Tips and Tricks
- No need to peel the zucchini. The skin of the zucchini is very thin and once shredded, you can't tell it's in the bread.
- If the top starts to get too brown while baking, cover the loaf with aluminum foil. This will prevent the top from burning.
- Allow the zucchini bread to cool slightly before serving. It might be tempting to cut into the zucchini bread immediately, but if you allow it to cool slightly, the structure will set better.
Variations
- Just like banana bread, chocolate chips make everything better! Add a cup of chocolate chips to the batter for a chocolatey take!
- Add Nutella! I love a Nutella zucchini bread! And Nutella makes everything better!
- Use whole wheat flour! To up the nutrition and add a little bit of nuttiness to the bread, substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
- Add fruit! I love a lemon blueberry zucchini bread or rhubarb crumble but you can add dried cranberries, fresh strawberries, or even diced apples to the batter!
Storage Tips
Sourdough zucchini bread should never be refrigerated once baked. It will go stale and mold quickly.
The best way to keep it fresh is to keep the loaf in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container on the counter. It will stay fresh up to 4 days.
This loaf is very freezer friendly too! Once the loaf is cooled, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and place it in a Ziploc bag. Freeze the loaf up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, take it out and let it defrost on the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you have some extra active starter on your counter, feel free to use that! The bread will get a little extra rise, but it won't change the outcome much.
Yes! Instead of baking the batter in a loaf pan, scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees to get the perfect muffins!
A neutral oil can be used instead of butter. 1 cup of coconut oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil can be used instead of butter.
Other Recipes To Try!
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📖 Recipe
Simple Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups Shredded Zucchini 1 large, or 2 small
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Sourdough Starter Inactive
Instructions
- Wash the zucchini and cut the ends off. Shred the zucchini with a box grater or a food processor.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Set that aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Add the sourdough starter and eggs to the bowl. Mix well.
- Fold the shredded zucchini into the mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. The loaf is done when a toothpick is inserted into the center of the pan and comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool slightly and enjoy!
Notes
- To make sure the loaf does not stick to the pan, add a sheet of parchment paper to the loaf pan before pouring the batter in.
- No need to peel the zucchini. The skin of the zucchini is very thin and once shredded, you can't tell it's in the bread.
- If the top starts to get too brown while baking, cover the loaf with aluminum foil. This will prevent the top from burning.
Mona Zimmerman
Do you think the batter could be layered with cinnamon sugar to make a cinnamon swirl loaf?
Lynn Polito
Definitely!