Salted Pecan Maple Zucchini Bread
Salted pecan maple zucchini bread is a sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy experience that your tastebuds will devour and sing for more. To put it lightly.
I love zucchini bread. I probably feel about zucchini bread, the way others do about banana bread. But if you are a long time friend of the blog – you know there is not nor will ever be banana bread around here. However, I am always baking zucchini bread and trying new flavors.
I was on Instagram, and came across a recipe for a salted maple banana bread which was supposedly heavenly. Now, I don’t know because I’ll never try it but it DID inspire me to try my hand at a maple zucchini bread. Now, that on it’s own would have probably be delicious but I also know maple pecan is a thing, so I decided to throw some nuts in there because I also love a variety of textures in my bakes. The result was perfection, and this might be my new favorite. It definitely has some fall vibes but I promise this is an anytime of year bake.
Baking Notes & Tips
When testing this recipe, I baked it in a light colored 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan. If you bake in a 9×5 – which is perfectly fine – your bake time will be reduced. Most likely by about 10-15 minutes, and your loaf will be a bit shorter and wider.
This recipe is written with pecans, but they are easily omitted OR substituted. Walnuts will taste more or less the same, but even pistachios or almonds could be swapped in if you prefer or have allergies. Additionally, when you grate your zucchini, you do not need to blot or squeeze out any additional water. Right into the bowl works great!
Salted Pecan Maple Zucchini Bread Key Ingredients
- Maple Extract – I didn’t want the bread to be overly sweet, so instead of adding a bunch of maple syrup to the bread we use regular sugars and maple extract. Way more maple flavor, no extra sugar.
- Browned Butter – Browned butter just has all the right notes to go with this. It’s caramel and nutty notes add to both the pecan and the brown sugar and the maple. It’s just a little bit as a topping and I promise it’s worth the extra step.
- Zucchini – One large or two medium fresh zucchinis are all you need to add a ton of moisture to this bread. Plus, vegetables make it acceptable to eat anytime of day and say – health!
Ingredients
- 280 g (2â…“ cups) AP Flour 2â…“ cup
- 1½ tsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 200 g Grated zucchini ~1 large/ 1-2 medium zucchini
- 150 g (¾ cup) Dark brown sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) Granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) Vegetable oil
- 56 g (¼ cup) Unsalted butter melted
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp Maple extract
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- 120 g (1 cup) Chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- 28 g Unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.Line a 8.5×4.5 loaf pan with parchment. If you have not already, grate your zucchini.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk together. Set aside.280 g AP Flour | 1½ tsp Sea salt | 1 tsp Baking powder | ½ tsp Baking soda
- In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar oil and mix.150 g Dark brown sugar | 50 g Granulated sugar | 100 g Vegetable oil | 56 g Unsalted butter
- Add your eggs and mix until eggs are homogenous with the sugar mixture. You can use a whisk or a spatula, you don't need to use a mixer.2 large Eggs
- Add your grated zucchini and vanilla and stir together.200 g Grated zucchini | ½ tsp Vanilla
- Add in your dry ingredients and stir until mostly combined, then add pecans and mix until evenly distributed and no dry bits of flour are left.1 tsp Maple extract | 120 g Chopped pecans
- Pour your batter into the prepared pan. You can add chopped pecans to the top for visual interest but it's not necessary.
- Place on the center rack of your oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. I always check at 50 minutes, but 65 minutes was usually the sweet spot for me. If baking in a 9×5 pan, reduce your bake time by about 10-15 minutes. A toothpick will come out cleanly and an internal thermometer probe will read 190°F.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 30-45 minutes. While bread is hot out of the oven, brush the maple syrup browned butter mixture over the top of the bread, and finish with flaky sea salt.2 tbsp Maple syrup | 28 g Unsalted butter | Flaky sea salt
- After initial cooling, remove loaf from pan and onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Let bread completely come to room temperature before slicing. Store in an airtight container for 2-4 days, enjoy!
