Bakery-Style Zucchini Bread with a Crunchy Cinnamon-Sugar Crust

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A dessert-worthy zucchini loaf: dark, domed and crackly on top from a turbinado-cinnamon crust, and almost pudding-moist inside thanks to brown sugar, oil and a spoonful of sour cream. Toasted walnuts add crunch, and warm spice keeps it tasting like a bakery case loaf rather than a health-food muffin. One bowl for the wet ingredients, one for the dry, no mixer.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (about 12 oz / 340 g total, to yield 2 packed cups grated)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 g), spooned and leveled
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp fine salt

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100 g)
• 1/2 cup neutral oil such as canola or vegetable
• 1/4 cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp turbinado or demerara sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (for the topping)
• 1 tbsp butter, softened, for the pan

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the lower third. Butter a 9x5-inch metal loaf pan, then line it with a strip of parchment that overhangs the two long sides for easy lifting.
2. If using walnuts, spread them on a small sheet pan and toast for 6 to 8 minutes while the oven preheats, until fragrant. Cool, then chop coarsely.
3. Trim the zucchini and grate it on the large holes of a box grater, skin and all (no need to peel). Measure out 2 packed cups. Pile the gratings on a clean kitchen towel and blot firmly from the top — do not wring dry. You want the surface water gone but the zucchini still juicy; that moisture is what makes the crumb dense and custardy.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt for a full 20 seconds so the leaveners are evenly distributed.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar hard for about 1 minute, until the mixture lightens and no lumps of brown sugar remain. Whisk in the oil in a steady stream, then the sour cream and vanilla, until glossy and completely smooth.
6. Add the grated zucchini to the wet mixture and stir with a flexible spatula to coat and break up any clumps.
7. Add the dry ingredients all at once and fold just until no dry streaks remain, 12 to 15 strokes. Fold in the walnuts with the last few strokes. The batter will be thick and slumpy — stop mixing while it still looks slightly rough, or the loaf will turn tough and tunneled.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Stir the turbinado sugar with the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and scatter it evenly over the surface, right to the edges.
9. Bake for 55 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan front to back at the 35-minute mark. The loaf is done when the top is deeply domed with a split down the center, a skewer inserted into that split comes out with only moist crumbs, and the center registers 205 to 208°F (96 to 98°C) on an instant-read thermometer. If the top is browning fast before the center sets, tent loosely with foil after 45 minutes.
10. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the loaf out and cool on the rack for at least 1 hour more. Slice with a serrated knife into 3/4-inch slices. It is even better the next day, once the crumb has settled.
11. Serve at room temperature as is, or warm slices for 10 seconds in the microwave and top with softly whipped cream or a smear of salted butter for dessert.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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