Freshly shredded zucchini melts into this moist, tender, tangy sourdough zucchini bread for a simple and delicious loaf.
Key Takeaways: Sourdough Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Servings: 8 slices
- Cook Method: Baked in a greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
- Flavor & Texture: Yields a sweet, tender loaf with warm cinnamon and soft, shredded zucchini.
- Difficulty: Easy. Combine ingredients and bake for one hour for a delicious, tender quick bread.
- Why this Recipe? This recipe incorporates garden zucchini and sourdough starter for a deliciously spiced, tangy loaf that can be served for breakfast or dessert.
On their own, zucchini might underwhelm with flavor and overwhelm with production. Yet their mild, unassuming profile works perfectly for adopting surrounding flavors. We love it in a savory zucchini lasagna, but when combined with cinnamon and brown sugar, shredded zucchini adds incredible moisture and a pleasant texture to a tangy sourdough quick bread.
With simple ingredients and garden-fresh produce, this sourdough zucchini bread easily serves as breakfast and dessert.
Consider serving sourdough zucchini bread lightly toasted with homemade raw butter, spread with homemade cream cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or topped with a heap of homemade whipped cream and a cup of coffee.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Garden-fresh zucchini – If you grow zucchini in your summer garden, you know how prolific they are! This recipe puts fresh zucchini to good use! Double the recipe if you’re swimming in zucchini.
Delicious snack or breakfast – Zucchini adds lots of moisture, yielding a tender, moist loaf without being dense. Quick breads like sourdough zucchini bread, sourdough peach quick bread, and sourdough strawberry quick bread offer a sweet, produce-packed option for a delicious breakfast or snack.
Simple and easy – Sourdough starter mixes up quickly with pantry staples and fresh zucchini for a quick, easy bake.
Ingredients
Zucchini – For two cups of shredded zucchini, you’ll need 1-2 larger zucchini or 2-3 medium zucchini.
Vanilla extract – A high-quality or homemade vanilla extract adds the best flavor.
Sourdough starter – Active or discard will work for this recipe.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
Add up to one cup of mix-ins for a single loaf of zucchini bread.
- Chocolate chips
- Shredded coconut or chopped, dried fruit
- Chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.
Or swap the store-bought flour for freshly milled flour, like in my whole wheat zucchini bread recipe. Sourdough discard is optional, but adds some tang to the whole wheat version.
How to Make Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Step 1: Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 2: In a stand mixer or large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 3: Shred two cups of zucchini, leaving the peel on. Add the shredded zucchini, vanilla extract, eggs, and sourdough starter to the butter and sugar mixture. In this recipe, I don’t squeeze out the extra moisture from the zucchinis like I would in a zucchini lasagna.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little bit at a time until just incorporated. To keep the crumb tender after baking, it’s important not to over-mix the batter. Gently fold in any other add-ins you would like.
Step 5: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Step 6: Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test bread at 50 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester. If the bread starts to get too dark before it is done baking, cover it with parchment paper (my preference) or foil until the center is baked through. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
How to Make Long Fermented Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Start the batter 12-24 hours before you plan to make zucchini bread. This gives the sourdough starter time to ferment the flour, making it more digestible and the nutrients more bioavailable.
Step 1: Combine sourdough starter, melted butter, eggs, and flour, stirring well. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 6 hours.
Step 2: Place the batter in the fridge and allow it to ferment for another 6-18 hours.
Step 3: The next day, add brown sugar, shredded zucchini, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to your fermented batter. Mix in any add-ins at this time. Mix on low to medium speed until combined. Don’t overmix.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test bread at 50 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester. If the bread starts to get too dark before it is done baking, cover it with parchment paper (my preference) or foil until the center is baked through. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Lisa’s Expert Tips
- If you love the dainty individuality of sourdough blueberry muffins or sourdough lemon poppy seed muffins, divide this batter into greased or paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes for sourdough zucchini muffins. These are great for breakfast or a portable snack. For a chocolate spin, try these sourdough chocolate zucchini muffins.
- Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter can be used for this recipe. The rise doesn’t come from the starter, but from baking soda and baking powder.
- This recipe is a basic zucchini bread recipe. You can easily mix it up by adding other delicious add-ins and variations.
- You don’t need to squeeze or pat the zucchini dry. The moisture works perfectly in this bread!
- No need to peel. The skin of the zucchini softens when it bakes, adding nutrition and a little color to the loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until combined to keep the crumb tender.
- Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- Convert to freshly milled flour for more nutrition, texture, and flavor.
Sourdough Zucchini Bread FAQs
This bread stores well for 4-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage, wrap well and keep in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months. Quick breads freeze well! For other bakes that freeze beautifully, stock your freezer with sourdough brioche, unfrosted whole wheat cinnamon rolls, sourdough croissant bread, sourdough baguettes, or sourdough banana bread.
It is a wonderful way to use up all those garden zucchinis during the summer, add moisture to the bread, and sneak in some veggies.
This is purely dependent on the recipe. Some recipes may call for more moisture, whereas some may not need the extra moisture and require squeezing out the water. For this recipe, I like the extra moisture and don’t squeeze the zucchini.
Most likely this is due to not being cooked all the way through the middle. As a higher-moisture bread recipe, it takes a while to bake. If the outside is getting too dark and the inside isn’t cooked through yet, I suggest covering the bread with parchment paper or foil until the center is baked through.
A loaf may sink in the center if it is underbaked, overmixed, or if the batter is too wet. Frozen zucchini that is thawed for this recipe may add too much moisture to the batter unless drained or patted with a towel.
More Sweet Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Healthy Apple and Banana Muffins
- Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Sourdough Monkey Bread
- Brioche French Toast
- Blueberry Sourdough Bagels
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sourdough starter
Instructions
- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Shred two cups of zucchini, leaving the peel on. Add the shredded zucchini, vanilla extract, eggs, and sourdough starter to the butter and sugar mixture.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little bit at a time until just incorporated. To keep the crumb tender after baking, it’s important not to over-mix the batter. Gently fold in any other add-ins you would like.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9×5 loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test bread at 50 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Long Fermented Version
- Start 12-24 hours before you plan to bake the zucchini bread. Combine sourdough starter, melted butter, eggs, and flour, stirring well. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 6 hours.
- Place the batter in the fridge and allow it to ferment for another 6-18 hours.
- The next day, add brown sugar, shredded zucchini, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to your fermented batter. Mix in any add-ins at this time. Mix on low to medium speed until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- If you love the dainty individuality of sourdough blueberry muffins or sourdough lemon poppy seed muffins, divide this batter into greased or paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes for sourdough zucchini muffins. These are great for breakfast or a portable snack. For a chocolate spin, try these sourdough chocolate zucchini muffins.
- Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter can be used for this recipe. The rise doesn’t come from the starter, but from baking soda and baking powder.
- This recipe is a basic zucchini bread recipe. You can easily mix it up by adding other delicious add-ins and variations.
- You don’t need to squeeze or pat the zucchini dry. The moisture works perfectly in this bread!
- No need to peel. The skin of the zucchini softens when it bakes, adding nutrition and a little color to the loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until combined to keep the crumb tender.
- Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- Convert to freshly milled flour for more nutrition, texture, and flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this recipe several times with mixed results. Twice it’s come out perfectly and now twice the batter has bubbled over the pan and made a huge mess in the oven. I have the right pan and mixed it exactly the same. The batter looked so perfect… I’m real confused. Any ideas?
I made the quick bread and it was delicious! I added walnuts, finished a bag of mini chocolate chips, and added Kit Kat bits. I also made the fermented version, but some of the coconut oil separated and then solidified in the refrigerator. Waiting now for it to warm up. I also didn’t see salt added to the fermented version. Before or after fermenting?
Before!
I made the quick bread and it was delicious! I added walnuts, finished a bag of mini chocolate chips, and added Kit Kat bits. I also made the fermented version, but some of the coconut oil separated and then solidified in the refrigerator. Waiting now for it to warm up.
I followed the long fermented version except I forgot the eggs until the second day. We did muffins and they turned out delicious and moist!
This came out SO amazing, I instantly bookmarked to make again when I harvest more zucchini! I can’t wait to try the long ferment version next time.
Hi! if i am using muffin tins, how long do i bake at 350 degrees for?
Around 25 minutes.
I would love to try the long fermentation method but a little hesitant because of the eggs being set out for 6 hours at room temp. Is this safe?
I have no issue leaving my dough out at room temperature because I use farm fresh eggs. This is my personal opinion based on my own experiences. Please use your own judgment for your specific circumstance when deciding if any food is safe to consume.
These turned out really delicious! I used the recipe for muffins and did the long fermented version. However, I noticed in the instructions for the long fermented version, you forgot to say when to add the salt. So I waited and added it with the other spices the second day. Also, the dough was thick before fermenting and then it was rock solid after being in the frig overnight (the butter hardened). I had to let it sit out for a little bit to let the dough soften enough to mix. This was no problem but it would’ve been nice to know to expect that because at first I thought I’d done something wrong!
Thank you for commenting with this….I am running into that issue right now. My dough is rock solid. I had made cookies right before and ran out of butter so I used the coconut oil so was not sure if that was the reason. I guessI will let it sit out.
I’m here with rock solid dough too. I’ll try leaving it longer but I don’t see this “pouring” into a loaf pan.
I’ve noticed that when long fermenting the dough ends up getting super solid too. Even when I leave it out longer in the morning to heat up, it will stay as clumps when I mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. My banana bread does that too.. still tastes delicious though! Just not sure if there’s a way to get it to fully blend together.
I am trying to do the long fermentation, I added the 1/2 cup starter, 2eggs, 1/2 cup meltd coconut oil and the 2 cups of flour and I got a thick dough. Is this how it is supposed to be. I mean it is thick enough to kneed. did I do something wrong?
Did you fold in the dry and wet ingredients slowly, stopping when they are just barely incorporated? That could have been the issue!
Mine didn’t same thing – real solid dough – I thought that was normal … it turned into normal bread batter when I completed it and baked it and it’s super crumbly! Awesome flavor but you have to eat it like granola lol I don’t know what I did! It also sank in the middle real low 😂🤷🏻♀️
The same thing happened to me! I was afraid I did something wrong but I’m wondering if maybe it’s because my active starter is quite thick.
Same thing happened to me as well. Once I mixed the ingredients in after a long ferment, it turned to more of a batter. The dough was still chunky though. I poured and baked, the taste isn’t bad but the dough just didn’t mix in all the way. Took a long time to bake too and definitely a crumbly bread.
I really enjoy your recipes. Im actually the executive chef at Giuseppe’s cucina rustica, in San Luis Obispo, ca. , but I just started in the last year getting into fermentation, homemade yogurt, and sourdough everything. Thank you so much for the inspiration.