It’s that time of year; are you sick to death of hearing about zucchini yet? Well, we growers can’t help talking about it—it’s coming out our ears. I know I said the same thing this time last year, too. So bear with me, if you can.

Last year I talked about the much-overlooked, but really essential step of squeezing all the excess water out of your shredded zucchini before folding it into your quick bread batter. Hope you tried this technique and it worked for you?

Well, this time I want to pass on a superior bread recipe that’s found in a current issue of Mother Earth News. First, my thought on why I’m pushing this as a recipe: I always used to kid myself by thinking that zucchini bread was somehow good for me because of its vegetable contents. But the reality is, zucchini bread, like many quick breads, is loaded with oil and oodles of sugar on top of mounds of white flour—making the bread more like cake than a healthy food.

So with that in mind, Mother Earth News blogger, Carrie Williams Howe, shows us that this perennial favorite can be healthified and still be a pleasure to eat. Here are the four changes she made to create a “healthier” version of the classic recipe:

1.

Whole Wheat Flour. It’s impressive how delicious baked goods with whole grains can be. Carrie went to what she calls her “go-to whole grain baking book” (King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking) and found what a zucchini bread recipe that was close to what she was looking for.

This recipe uses 2 cups whole wheat flour (preferably white whole wheat) and one cup unbleached bread flour. She tried the recipe and found it very satisfying, but still wanted to try going all the way with whole wheat flour, so her first adaptation was converting to 100% white whole wheat flour.

Along with this change, she added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the recipe. She did this because according to the test kitchen pros at King Arthur Flour, the vinegar reacts with the baking powder and adds a bit more leavening power while also cutting some of the whole wheat flavor.

Because whole wheat recipes often benefit from some time to rest and let the whole wheat absorb the moisture of the other ingredients, she let the batter rest a bit before baking.

2.

Ground Flax. Flax seeds are high in Omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber and boost nutritional value to any baked good or bread recipe. And adding ground flax also contributes a touch of nutty flavor and darker color. Carrie replaced about ¼ cup of the flour in the recipe with ground flax in order to reap these benefits without impacting the flavor or texture of the bread too much.

3.

Applesauce. You all know applesauce can be substituted for oil in many baked goods. This substitution is always a great place to improve the health factor of any baked good, and this step was a no-brainer since the original recipe only contained 1/3 cup of oil.

4.

Honey. It’s always smart to cut down on sugar wherever you can. That said, I do realize that there is ongoing debate over whether honey is really healthier than white sugar (because it causes the same type of blood sugar rise that any other type of sugar would). The anti-honey-users say “Sugar is sugar!”

But the pro-honey-users maintain that when it’s raw honey you have trace vitamins and minerals, it digests slower, and because it’s sweeter than sugar you can use less of it. I’m pro-honey.

But, since honey is also more expensive than sugar, Carrie didn’t substitute 100%. Instead of ¾ cup sugar, she used ¼ cup each of sugar and honey. Less sugar overall with the addition of some nutrients.

If you’re pro honey as well, here’s a substitution chart from the Moody Bees Honey Farm folks (www.moodybeeshoney.com).

So if you happen to have an abundance of zucchini at your house (whether from your garden or a neighbor’s garden), give this recipe a try.

And by the way, if an abundance of the stuff really is an issue you have, don’t forget to freeze the stuff. Shred it, squeeze out the excess liquid, layer the shreds out on a cookie sheet and freeze. As soon as it’s frozen, crumble it up and fill zippered freezer bags with 1 ½ cups each. Date the bags and pop them back in the freezer, where they’ll politely wait until you’re ready to put this delicious recipe to work throughout the winter.

HEALTHIER ZUCCHINI BREAD (yield: one 9x5-inch loaf)

This recipe uses white whole wheat flour, ground flax, applesauce, and honey to increase the health factor of this perennial favorite.

• 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini 
• 2 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup ground flax seed
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg or ½ tsp cinnamon (or a combination!)
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup raisins or roughly chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch bread pan.

2. Shred the zucchini and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl.

4. Whisk the wet ingredients separately (eggs, milk, applesauce, honey). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

5. Stir in the grated, drained zucchini, raisins or walnuts if you are using them, and lemon zest.

6. Pour the batter into the bread pan, then let it rest for about 10 minutes before baking.

7. Bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness and level of browning. If the bread is still loose or wet cover with tin foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes more.

8. Cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan to cool completely.

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