Sourdough Zucchini Bread [make it with discard]

Make this easy sourdough zucchini bread in just a few simple steps. It's the perfect way to use up a glut of summer zucchini.

It's also an easy way to use up any extra shredded zucchini from making savory sourdough zucchini muffins, sourdough zucchini pizza, double chocolate sourdough zucchini muffins or sourdough zucchini fritters.

Similar to my sourdough banana bread recipe, this easy sourdough zucchini bread is the best you'll ever eat - I promise!

Simple ingredients, including warming spices, come together to create the perfect afternoon treat. I love indulging in this one with a quiet cup of tea. It's also a great way to get the kids to eat their greens without too many complaints.

This recipe makes two good sized loaves of sourdough zucchini bread - why not eat one and gift one to your neighbor with some homemade butter or whipped honey cinnamon butter? Maybe add a batch of yummy carrot cake sourdough muffins.

One loaf of sourdough zucchini bread wrapped in wax paper tied with red string. Another loaf is dusted in icing sugar. There is a bowl of butter sitting between them.

Is Zucchini Bread Really Bread?

Sourdough zucchini bread is much like banana bread in it's construction. It's not traditional bread made from flour, water and salt. It's more like a cake, baked in a loaf tin, however it has a more dense texture than a traditional cake.

It is generally sliced like a "loaf" and hence it is called "bread".

While it can get a little confusing - all you really need to know is that it's delicious!

Easy sourdough zucchini bread - 2 loaves of sourdough zucchini bread sitting on a cooling rack

Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Discard?

This sourdough zucchini bread is the perfect way to use up your sourdough discard. You can use 200g of your discard in this recipe.

If you don't have discard on hand, or you're using a mature starter, using fed starter is perfectly fine too. You can even feed your sourdough starter extra to ensure you have enough to make this delicious recipe.

The starter isn't actually used as the leavening of this bread, it's really just adds a lovely tang to the overall flavor profile.

How To Make Sourdough Zucchini Bread

The process of making sourdough zucchini bread is really very simple. I recommend creaming the butter, sugar and eggs with a stand mixer, however, you can do it by hand if you don't have one.

It's really important to cream the butter, sugar and eggs until they are really pale and fluffy before you add the sourdough starter and vanilla.

It's also important to squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini before you add it to the flour. If you don't squeeze out the excess moisture, your zucchini bread will be too moist and won't rise as much.

Here's how to make this easy sourdough zucchini bread:

Preheat your oven to 350F (175C).
Prepare 2 loaf pans by coating the inside of each generously with butter (I do this even if my loaf pans are non stick). See notes for pan sizes.
Cream the butter, sugar and eggs until light in color and nice and fluffy.It's best to use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this step - you'll get the best result from your zucchini bread.
Now add sourdough starter and vanilla to the creamed butter, sugar and eggs and beat until well combined.
Now add all the dry ingredients and shredded zucchini (make sure you've squeezed the moisture out) into a bowl and mix until well combined and the zucchini is coated in flour.
Now add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold gently until combined - try not to over mix it!
Now pour the mixture into two loaf pans that have been well greased with butter (I put 630g of mixture into each tin).
Bake the sourdough zucchini bread for around 50 minutes at 350F (175C) (the time really depends on your oven). Insert a skewer into the middle of the bread - if it comes out clean, they're ready to come out of the oven.
Allow the sourdough zucchini bread to cool in the tins for 10 to 15 minutes before removing them and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Which Pan To Use?

I have used 2 of these Jamie Oliver pans to make this sourdough zucchini bread however they are not always available online (but check the link as they do come back into stock sometimes). I've put 630g of batter in each pan.

They are 8 x 5 Inch bread loaf tins with 4 Inch high walls and a 6.5 cup capacity.

This USA Pullman Pan is very similar in size.

You can use any loaf pan you want to. The recipe makes approx. 1260g of batter. I prefer to divide into two pans as it doesn't take so long to cook - and I can gift or freeze one of the loves.

Sourdough zucchini bread - 2 loaf pans filled with sourdough zucchini bread batter

What Else Can You Add To Sourdough Zucchini Bread?

While this delicious sourdough zucchini bread is perfect just as it is, there are some flavor variations and inclusions you can add if you'd like to mix things up a bit:

100g of chocolate chips or chunks
100g of cranberries
100g of walnuts
50g of cocoa powder

All of these additions can be added along with the dry ingredients (flour, spices etc).

Some ideas for serving your sourdough zucchini bread. I recommend allowing the bread to cool quite a bit as it can be too crumbly when sliced warm. Once cool, serve with:

Salted cultured butter
Whipped honey cinnamon butter
Vanilla cream cheese frosting (this one from my sourdough cinnamon rolls is the best!).

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you squeeze water out of zucchini for bread?

Yes you should squeeze the water out of zucchini for bread. I always weigh the zucchini first and then squeeze out all the excess moisture before adding to my recipe.

Do you leave the skin on zucchini when making bread?

Yes leave the skin on zucchini when making bread. It adds great color to the bread, as well as retaining more of the nutrients of the vegetable.

Do you take the seeds out of zucchini for making bread?

No there is no need to take the seeds out of the zucchini for making bread. The seeds are rather difficult to remove from a zucchini and they are easy to grate up when shredding the zucchini for making bread.

Can you add any other vegetables to zucchini bread?

You substitute the zucchini for shredded carrot in this sourdough zucchini bread recipe. You could also do a mix of half carrot and half zucchini. These vegetables compliment each other well.