Toasted Coconut and Zucchini Bread
This toasted coconut and zucchini bread isn’t just better for you, it’s a lot more fun than traditional zucchini bread.
When it comes to growing zucchini, I never learn. Every spring when we plant the garden, I eagerly plant a few zucchini seeds while daydreaming about summer salads, pastas, and grilled kebabs. But then sometime in July I realize I’m in over my head.
Zucchini grows and produces at an alarming rate and we are struggling to stay on top of it all. This morning I stared down at the squashes covering our kitchen counter and decided it was time to bake some zucchini bread. Only, I didn’t want just any zucchini bread.
This toasted coconut and zucchini bread recipe is based on a coconut bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen that I oogled over earlier this year. I turned it on it’s head and toasted the coconut, substituted coconut oil for the butter, and added fresh zucchini. I’m sure Deb’s recipe is amazing, but so is this one.
So many quick breads are just masquerading cakes, but this bread is not as sweet as you’d expect. And the zucchini and coconut oil help make it a little better for you. With a generous smear of butter, this toasted coconut and zucchini bread is an excellent snack or side to any meal.
Even if you don’t have out of control home-grown zucchini, this recipe is worth a special trip to the grocery store or farmer’s market.
baking tip:Baking with coconut oil
Follow these tips for using coconut oil in your baking:
- Substitute it for other fats (shortening, vegetable oil, butter, etc.) 1:1
- Use it in the same state called for in the recipe, i.e. melted, softened or solid
- Melted coconut oil has roughly the same volume as the solid, so feel free to measure before melting
- Melt over low heat or microwave in short bursts
- Have all other ingredients at room temperature
Try coconut oil in yeast breads, quick breads, muffins, cakes, pancakes, cookies, brownies, and more!
Toasted Coconut and Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut (130 grams)
- 1 cup grated zucchini (170 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk (175 ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup coconut oil , melted and cooled slightly (55 grams)
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (300 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (213 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- Spread the flaked coconut on a sheet pan and place in the oven under the broiler. Stir every 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully. When it is fully toasted, set aside to cool completely.
- Wrap the zucchini in a towel or strong paper towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid.
- In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and toasted coconut. Add the liquid ingredient and stir until only a few streaks of the dry ingredients remain. Add the zucchini and stir until combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 35-45 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
Coconut oil is such a great addition to baking since it has become the latest food trend. Can not wait to try this when my get my order of veggies for the week! Great portable snack foods
My mother has been using this oil for ages but only in savoury dishes. Thank for the info on coconut oil. You are so lucky to have zucchini plant too, those flowers will make great gourmet dishes!
This is lovely. Zucchini bread is amazing on its own, but with toasted coconut?! LOVE!
This is gorgeous! I made a coconut bread a couple weeks ago and just loved it, but this sounds even better!!
I don’t have a garden here in NYC, but I know where some farmers’ markets are. I’ll definitely get som zucchini to try this recipe. It looks so yummy!
Gorgeous!
Yay! I have a jar of coconut oil and I’ve only used it a couple times because I can never think of ways to use it. Totally making this this weekend!
You’ll have to let me know what you think!
I always cut the sugar and butter (or oil) way back when I make quick bread. If I want cake, I’ll fix cake. Your recipe is one of the most reasonable in that regard I have ever seen. Excellent!
We are currently experiencing a tomato apocalypse but don’t have a zucchini plant this year. Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will ditch some on my porch so I can try this bread. Thanks!
Great recipe idea! And I’m excited for more coconut oil uses on your blog 🙂
Attempted this recipe but the loaf came out heavy and even rubbery in places – any tips on where I went wrong?
This looks so delicious! I have all the ingredients and will be trying this out tonight!
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! I used unsweetened to tasted coconut that I had toasted a while ago from a left over coconut I had shredded.
My only issue is that the coconut oil hardened in the milk and egg mixture leaving lumps of oil when I mixed it together. When it baked (I made a dozen muffins and a mini loaf), the bottoms seems soggy as the oil pooled down there. They aren’t soggy now and are fine to eat but maybe putting the oil in at the same time as the wet ingredients but not have then sitting together in the bowl might help??
That is a common problem with all melted fat (coconut oil, butter, etc.) when mixing with milk and eggs. The trick is to have the melted oil cooled slightly and have the milk and eggs at room temperature. If they’re cold, it will cause the melted oil to solidify in little bits. Does that make sense. If you didn’t plan ahead enough to have those ingredients at room temperature, you can cheat and add the melted oil to the batter before adding the zucchini. Hope this helps!