Zucchini Carrot Bread at Home

This zucchini carrot bread is ultra moist, well-seasoned and especially sneaky with TWO kinds of veggies, zucchini and carrots.

Well, we survived the first week back to school.

Getting up at 6 am after a summer of sleeping in until 8 or 9 am for me and 11 or 12 for my girls can be particularly rough. This year I have a high-schooler and a middle-schooler (whah!) and being that we live in a more rural area they ride the bus together. Before I was making four trips to the bus stop and this year it’s only two. It’s the little things.

So since I have all this time on my hands and the air has taken a sudden turn to the more chilly temps, I’ve been doing quite a bit of baking. This time a year I can assume most gardens, like mine, is bursting at the seams. So if you grew zucchinis or carrots this year, how about putting them in a wholesome bread?

I took my go-to zucchini bread recipe, swapped out some flour and replaced it with coarsely ground flaxseed and added a little grated carrot along with the zucchini. Then I upped the flavor even more by adding in some chopped pecans and a mix of fall spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

You guys, the smell of this baking in the oven is beyond memorable.

My youngest, Malloree, even said that her go-to thing about back to school is walking in to our house after her long day to see if I’ve made something tasty. Last Friday it was this bread.

For this Zucchini Carrot Bread Gather:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• coarsely ground flax seed
• cinnamon
• ginger (ground)
• nutmeg
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• baking powder
• sugar
• eggs
• unsweetened applesauce
• grapeseed oil
• vanilla extract
• zucchini
• carrot
• pecans

Dump some flax into a mini food processor and pulsed and pulsed and pulsed until coarsely ground. Then measure out 1/4 cup.

Preheat your oven to 350° and butter and flour two standard loaf pans.

Set a mesh strainer over top of a large bowl. Measure and add in 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour.

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg…

Then add 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and lastly, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.

Then simply sift away.

And don’t forget to add in the 1/4 cup of coarsley ground flax seed.

Give that a short stir and set it off to the side for a moment.

In a large liquid measuring cup add in 2 cups of sugar.

3 large eggs.

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce.

Next add 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil.

And 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

Lightly whisk until all the ingredients are combined.

Veggie time!

You’ll need 1-1/2 cups grated zucchini. With zucchinis this small I don’t remove the seeds.

I also don’t peel the carrots. I only give them a good scrub before grating. You’ll need 1-1/2 cups of carrots as well.

Add those into the bowl with egg and sugar mixture…

Stir those in.

Ooops! Don’t for get to add the 1/2 cup of chopped pecans! The 10-year-old me would not like the pecans, but the almost 35-year-old me truly truly does.

Pour the liquids into the bowl with the dry ingredients…

And mix until the dry ingredients get incorporated into the wet or the wet ingredients get incorporated into the dry.

Divide the batter among the two prepped pans. It’s about 3 cups per loaf pan.

And because my dear friend Heidi asked me to make a zucchini bread with flax seeds sprinkled over top… I did. I do aim to please.

Slide the pans into your preheated oven and baked for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked and smelling hellamazing, sit and suffer while waiting for them to cool.

Once the bread has cooled completely, run a butter knife along the edge of the bread and tap until the bread releases itself.

Slice (extra thick) and serve!

It’s ultra-moist and savory. My girls and I like ours with a thin schmear of butter and a cup of tea.

Forks are optional.

This bread is standout. After school… for breakfast… all the time.

HOW TO STORE ZUCCHINI BREAD:

Once the bread has completely cooled, double wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

HOW LONG WILL ZUCCHINI BREAD LAST?

If stored properly, this zucchini bread will last 2 to 3 days. If you don’t plan to eat both loaves in that time frame, I recommend freezing.

HOW TO FREEZE ZUCCHINI BREAD:

Once the zucchini bread has completely cooled, double wrap a single loaf in plastic wrap, then wrap tightly with foil and freeze for up to 6 months. I like to use a sharpie and mark the day and the year on the outside as well.

Enjoy! And if you give this Zucchini Carrot Bread recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!