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Sourdough Zucchini Bread

Sourdough zucchini bread with a tender, moist crumb and a golden crackled crust. This tangy quick-bread uses sourdough starter (active or discard) plus squeezed-dry zucchini for deeply complex flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Wet ingredients
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.5 cup sourdough starter active or discard
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup zucchini grated and squeezed dry
Optional mix-ins
  • 0.5 cup walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan for easy release.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together until evenly combined and lump-free.
Mix the batter
  1. Beat granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, sourdough starter, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
  2. Stir in grated zucchini that has been squeezed dry so the loaf bakes up moist, not wet.
  3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry streaks remain, then fold in walnuts if using.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top.
  2. Bake at 350°F for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing, so the crumb sets and the sourdough tang becomes more noticeable after one day.

Notes

For the best moist crumb, squeeze the grated zucchini very dry before mixing. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months. For a lighter option, replace half the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce while keeping the baking soda and baking powder amounts the same.