Summer squash bread that uses a lot?

July 16, 2023 5:57 AM

Can anyone share a recipe for a sweet bread (or cake: anything baked) that uses a lot of squash? Most recipes I found online use like one cup of squash with one or two full cups of sugar. I would like to swap these quantities.

I also happen to have 8 ounces of fresh lemon juice.

I have loaf pans, a Bundt pan, and more.

I also have a zucchini (Lord, who doesn't?).

Thanks!

posted by wenestvedt to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Smitten kitchen’s recipe uses exactly your desired measurements. I can vouch for it being delicious! I skip the crackly sugar top.
posted by obfuscation at 6:00 AM on July 16, 2023

(OK, threw a batch of that in already. What raya got with lemon?)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:48 AM on July 16, 2023

Not bread, but uses a lot of zucchini, and you can try with summer squash. I do zucchini bites, it's basically shredded zucchini (press out extra moisture into a cheese cloth), mixed with shredded cheddar, egg, panko bread crumbs, and garlic, smoked paprika, or chipotle, whatever herbs/spices you prefer. Drop onto a parchment covered baking sheet, pop in a 385°F oven until they brown on the edges a bit. You can freeze these; I found they were perfect to bring to work as a snack, and just reheat in a microwave or toaster oven,
posted by kellyblah at 7:28 AM on July 16, 2023

I have a muffin recipe that uses 3 cups of shredded zucchini. It was my go-to because the muffins freeze well.

Link to photos of my recipe card because I cannot find the online recipe anymore.

You can convert that to a loaf by increasing the baking time. This would make two loaves.
posted by dazedandconfused at 7:36 AM on July 16, 2023

I should have added that the recipe uses 1 1/3 cups of sugar but you can reduce to 1 cup without impacting the recipe!
posted by dazedandconfused at 7:43 AM on July 16, 2023

Ina Garten's lemon bars use a full cup of lemon juice. They are soooo good, every time I make them people ask me for the recipe.
posted by ananci at 9:16 AM on July 16, 2023

I like to make lemon almond tea cake with lemon curd. I make dairy free lemon curd, but there are a lot of recipes out there if you'd rather use dairy instead of coconut oil, or sugar instead of honey.

I also enjoy making a lemon-basil panna cotta (half lemon panna cotta, half basil panna cotta, in a clear glass on a slant -- still trying to track down the recipe).

Lemons are the best!
posted by cnidaria at 9:22 AM on July 16, 2023

Also, just searching Love and Lemons for recipes might be a good resource for you too!
posted by cnidaria at 9:27 AM on July 16, 2023

This technically would suit since it is baked, but it's more of a crustless-quiche thing; still, this corn-and-zucchini pie uses a whopping four cups of thinly-sliced zucchini.

It's also not technically a quiche either, since you don't mix milk in with the egg. It's just a great huge wodge of different veg, sauteed until tender, and then you mix all that with 4 beaten eggs and 12 ounces of shredded cheese, and then add a little salt and pepper and other seasonings (I had an herbes de provence blend and I used that). Then you fling it into a pan, fling that in the oven for a half hour, and there you are.

I just made it for the first time like an hour ago and it's lovely. Made a good breakfasty-brunchy kind of thing, and the leftovers will go into lunches for work this week; it also used up the enormous zucchini the size of Delaware that was lurking in the fridge.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:56 AM on July 16, 2023

Update: the Smitten Kitchen recipe in the first comment is a solid winner, and I look forward to "improving" it with chocolate chips next time.

I used one good-size squash (well-squeezed, despite the recipe blithely claiming it's not necessary), and cooled it in the pan for a couple of hours before my resolve cracked and I ate some. It is a little more soft than many quickbreads, almost like a cake. Nice, gentle flavor, too.

Delicious -- thank you, obfuscation!!!
posted by wenestvedt at 9:58 AM on July 16, 2023

If you like stuff - dried fruit, candied ginger, chocolate chips, etc - with your squash, I recommend this Loaded Zucchini Bread recipe.

It won't do anything for the lemon, but it will use up three cups of grated zucchini! You can use summer squash instead of zucchini, apples, or even a combination of all three and it turns out well.

The one review that mentions "too much stuff, not enough bread" isn't wrong, but it's delicious. It also won me a blue ribbon at a harvest fair, enjoy. (Not my recipe.)
posted by Guess What at 11:10 AM on July 16, 2023

I've successfully reduced the sugar in the recipe above to 1 cup, bringing the ratio to 3 cups squash/zucchini to 1 cup sugar. Happy baking!
posted by Guess What at 11:11 AM on July 16, 2023

MetaFilter: too much stuff, not enough bread.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:27 PM on July 16, 2023

pssst: that SK recipe that says not to wring out the zucchini? You can cram quite a bit more zucchini in there if you DO wring it out.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:14 PM on July 16, 2023

High five! I totally wrung it out, and the bread was lovely and fluffy.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:26 PM on July 16, 2023