Honey Lemon Zucchini Bread

You will love this honey lemon zucchini bread recipe—it’s so fresh and bright!

I’ve been staring at two giant zucchini in my fridge for a couple weeks now.

One came from our garden here on the homestead, and the other came from my co-worker who had no use for it.

Obviously when fraught with what to do with this giant zucchini she thought, “Liza will take it.”

Because, obviously. I’m like Mikey with the Life cereal when it comes to garden bounty.

I spent fifteen minutes shredding those two suckers, and ended up with a little over six cups of zucchini bits.

Two cups got frozen in zip top bags and the rest was used for zucchini bread.

We love zucchini bread over here.

It’s one of my daughter’s favorites for lunch, two slices slathered with cream cheese and eaten like a sandwich.

My son happens to like his plain OR warmed up with a little butter. (YUM!)

I could eat zucchini bread any way it’s served, any time (although I do have a soft spot for a warm buttered slice).

Today I tried a new variation on my regular ol’ zucchini bread recipe: the addition of honey and lemon.

It has a sweet brightness that’s both unique and mouthwatering.

Of the four loaves, I gave one to my parents (Hey … my mom did grow one of those zucchini, so I feel like I owe them.

Plus, food’s always more fun when you can share!), saved one in the fridge for this week, and froze two to use over the coming weeks.

Can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow! Mmm….

Honey Lemon Zucchini Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

You will love this honey lemon zucchini bread recipe—it's so fresh and bright!

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Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded zucchini
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups canola oil
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/4 cup honey (preferably local)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Use non-stick spray to coat 4 large loaf pans.

Use a whisk to combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and oil until they turn a creamy color, then add the sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and continue whisking the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes.

Fix the paddle attachment to the mixer. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture about a cup at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next cupful. Once all the dry ingredients have been added, mix until it's just combined. The batter will be very thick!

Add the zucchini to the batter, and using the mixer on low, gently incorporate the two. The moisture from the zucchini should loosen up the batter and make it easier to mix.

Pour the batter into your prepared pans about half-way, and then bake them for about an hour (or until the top springs back when you press gently with your finger, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

Let the loaves cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, and the remove them. Continue letting them sit on a rack until they've cooled completely.

Notes

TIP: If you plan on freezing these, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap once they've cooled, and then put them into freezer zip top bags.