Sourdough Discard Zucchini Carrot Bread with Pistachios

Zucchini Carrot Bread Ingredients

This zucchini carrot bread batter is very similar to muffin batter. It’s super easy to mix. The key is to mix all the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients before combining. You also want to ensure your wet ingredients are the right temperature before mixing them together!

The Best Bread Pan for Zucchini Carrot Bread

I picked up this fantastic non-stick bread pan at Whole Foods, and I LOVE it. It’s perfect for any bread. Click here to get one.

For this recipe, it’s best to use a non-stick metal bread pan close to a 9x5x3 dimension. Here are a few more options I’d recommend:

• Caraway Ceramic Bread Pan
• USA Pan 1-pound loaf pan
• Cuisinart Loaf Pan

Should you squeeze the water out of zucchini for bread?

In some recipes, you may need to, but in this recipe, you don’t!

In some quick sweet bread recipes, you might not need to squeeze the water out of zucchini for several reasons:

1. Moisture Balance: I designed my recipe to accommodate the additional moisture from the zucchini. The zucchini’s moisture content can help create bread that is exceptionally moist and tender.
2. Recipe Formulation: The amount of dry ingredients (like flour and sugar) in these recipes may be adjusted to account for the extra liquid from the zucchini. This ensures the batter has the correct consistency and the bread bakes properly.
3. Desired Texture: Some zucchini bread recipes aim for a very moist, almost cake-like texture. The zucchini’s water content contributes to this texture, making the bread soft and tender.
4. Simplicity and Convenience: Not squeezing the zucchini simplifies the recipe, making it more straightforward and quicker to prepare. 

Should zucchini be peeled before shredding for bread?

No, you shouldn’t peel the zucchini before grating it and incorporating it into the bread. I prefer to leave the skin on for fiber, but also for a pop of color inside the bread.

The zucchini skin is perfectly healthy, especially if you use organic zucchini. So skip the extra work and leave it on! Your bread will be prettier with it.

Don’t Over-Mix the Zucchini Carrot Bread Batter!

When making quick bread one crucial tip is to avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixing can result in dense bread rather than a light and fluffy loaf. The reason behind this lies in the formation of gluten.

Gluten, a protein present in flour, gives structure to baked goods. However, excessive mixing develops gluten strands, leading to a denser texture. To prevent this, gently mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring there are still some lumps and streaks of flour in the batter.

This technique allows the carrot zucchini bread to rise correctly, resulting in a tender crumb and a delightful eating experience.

My other quick bread baking tip is always to use a great, non-stick metal loaf pan.

More Discard Recipes to Try

• Peach Cobbler Muffins with Brown Sugar Crumble
• Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Cookies (Blueberry Muffin Cookies)
• Sourdough Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Sourdough Discard

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Sourdough Discard Zucchini Carrot Bread with Pistachios

You’ll love this light and fluffy Sourdough Discard Zucchini Carrot Bread with pistachios and an icing drizzle for perfect sweetness and texture. This bread is ideal for any spring or summer get-together. Pair it with coffee or tea for a lovely afternoon snack.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup crushed pistachios
• 1/2 cup carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature soft
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature

Icing

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2–3 teaspoons whole milk
• crushed pistachios

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Grease a non-stick, 5×9 (1-pound) bread pan with butter.
3. Grate and measure out the carrot and zucchini.
4. In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the flour, potato starch, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and pistachios.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the carrots, zucchini, butter, sourdough starter, vanilla, whole milk, and eggs. Mix the wet ingredients until evenly combined.
6. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything is just combined. Do not over-mix. The batter should be thick, and it’s okay if there are some dry clumps.
7. Scoop the batter into the bread pan.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes total. Rotate the pan halfway through.
9. While the bread bakes, mix the icing together. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time, keeping the icing super thick but able to be drizzled. Crush or chop some pistachios to sprinkle on top the icing.
10. Allow cooling for about 15 minutes in the pan, then slide the loaf out of the pan onto a cooling rack, allowing it to cool completely.
11. Drizzle with icing and top with crushed pistachios.

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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