Zucchini season is in full swing. If you have a garden, you probably know the yearly flood of zucchini during July and August. But now you can also find fresh, regional grown zucchini at weekly markets, organic food stores and supermarkets. Help yourself! Zucchini are not only delicious but also incredibly versatile. Today I’ll show you a new recipe for a fabulously good, aromatic zucchini and onion bread. It’s easily made, delicious and soft. Enjoy it still warm from the oven. For example with a vegan curd dip with fresh herbs.
Or enjoy the full aroma of this bread by simply dipping it in a little salted, high-quality olive oil. Olives, pickled artichokes and strips of bell peppers, fermented or oven-roasted vegetables are delicious with it. How does that sound to you?
Zucchini onion bread is a great way to turn your zucchini harvest into pure enjoyment. The bread becomes fluffy and wonderfully juicy. Let’s start, yours Lea.
Vegan Zucchini & Onion Bread
Ingredients
- 400 g ( 3 1/4 cups or 14.10 oz) (spelt) flour
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 1 small tsp. agave syrup or a pinch of sugar
- 1 onion ( about 3.5 oz)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 220 g (7.7 oz) Zucchini
- Salt
- Optional: 1 pinch of chili powder
- Optional: a pinch of garlic powder or a small, peeled and crushed garlic clove
- 4-5 sprigs thyme
- Optional: 2 tbsp. nut kernel mix, e.g. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soya seeds
- 2-3 tbsp. plantbased milk
For the dip/spread (optional)
- 150 g vegan curd alternative
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- A handful of fresh herbs (e.g. basil, chives, dill or parsley)
- Salt
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a deepening in the middle and pour in 200 ml of warm water. Dissolve a packet of dry yeast in the warm water and stir in some of the flour. Add a bit of agave syrup. Leave this "pre-dough" to rest covered till we proceed with the dough.
- Peel and halve the onion, cut it into fine strips and let it brown for a few minutes in hot olive oil. Then put aside and let cool down.
- Wash the zucchini, remove the ends and grate with a household grater. Wring out the grated zucchini in a clean towel once vigorously over the sink.
- Back to our "pre-dough" now: salt it slightly, optionally add chili and garlic powder and knead. Add the fried onion strips, the grated zucchini and the leaves of 4-5 thyme twigs and knead well. Then knead the dough on a floured work surface for another 2-3 minutes until it is nice and even and no longer sticky. Depending on how moist your zucchini rasp was, add a little more flour.
- Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Avoid draughts.
- Line the baking tin with parchment paper. Knead the risen dough once again, place it in the form, pour 2 tbsp. nut kernel mixture (optional) on top and press down lightly. Cover baking tin and let rest for another 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 356 °F.
- Optionally, sprinkle 2 tbsp. nut kernel mixture onto the risen dough and press lightly. Bake zucchini bread at 180 °C/ 356 °F fan for 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes baking time, brush the already risen bread with a little plantbased milk. This gives the bread a nice golden color.
- Lift bread out of the mould, let it cool down briefly and enjoy with spreads, dips or other vegan toppings. The bread can also be enjoyed pure, perhaps dipped in a little salted olive oil. Olives, pickled artichokes, fermented or oven-cooked vegetables taste particularly good with it.
- For the dip shown here, you can easily mix a vegan curd alternative with 1 tbsp. lemon juice and a handful of fresh, chopped herbs. Salt it lightly. Enjoy.
As a variation, you can for example replace the onions with a handful of chopped olives. You can also vary the added fresh herbs.
Another variation is to replace the onions with 50 g (1.7 oz) nuts, such as hazelnuts or chopped walnuts.
Hope you love this bread as much as I do! Please write me how you managed the zucchini bread! I would also be very happy if you mark me on Facebook and Instagram posts so that I can also share your bread variation! xxx your Lea
