These cool August days that we’ve been getting out here on the east coast have me reeling and day-dreaming of autumn. The crisp fall air, bundled up with layers on and warm goodies baking in the oven, ahh the best time of the year. I can see it all so crystal clear. But, nevermind wishing these beautiful summer days away. We’ve been blessed with farm fresh zucchini to bake with and a beautiful breeze to cool that kitchen down. These are the days I yearn for. These are the days of pure heaven and bliss. Don’t fast forward friends, just press play.
Grain-free Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread {print me!}
Adapted from Against All Grain
Notes: I cannot guarantee the quality of this recipe when using any almond flour other than the Honeyville product I mentioned. It is the finest and best quality. Baking with alternative flours is tricky, use caution when subbing out any of the ingredients listed above. This bread is a little on the less sweet side. If you’d like a sweeter style bread I suggest using a sweetened applesauce.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 cups of grated zucchini {about half of a large zucchini, see below for instructions on how to properly prepare}
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 cup local honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grate the zucchini just as you would a block of cheese by using a coarse grater. After you’re done grating and in order for the bread to bake to the right consistency, you”ll want to squeeze the excess moisture out of the zucchini. In my experience, the most effective way to do this is to take a small handful at a time and squeeze the zucchini over the sink. After you’ve squeezed all the water out, lay that zucchini out on a tea towel. Allow to air-dry for about 10 minutes, then use the towel to pat the remaining water out of the zucchini.
In a small mixing bowl with a hand-mixer blend together the eggs, honey and applesauce. Then gently whisk in the lemon zest and zucchini. In a separate bowl sift or combine well together the blanched almond flour, sea salt, baking soda and poppy seeds. Now pour in the wet ingredients and mix well.
This recipe will fit a 1 pound bread loaf pan. Line your pan with parchment paper or grease it well with coconut oil. Pour the batter in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes. The loaf will be ready to eat when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
tiffany holloran says
I can’t wait to make this. Have you thought of making a grain free banana bread? My husband and kids are huge banana bread fans and it would be fun to make something that we all can eat.
Sherrie says
Tiffany, I have. Banana bread is scrumptious, right?! I’ll be dreaming of something soon. Keep you posted!
XO
Joy@For the Love of Leaves says
Yum! This looks so good! Definitely going to try this soon!
Sherrie says
Thanks for stopping by Joy! Please do make it soon, this bread is amazing. XO
Trista says
Can’t wait to use my zucchini up and make this treat! I’m from PA, and you’re right, I’ve been feeling my fall senses come out lately! Fall is my favorite time, but I know I’m not ready for summer to be over! Thank goodness food can take us where we want to be, without the weather following quickly behind. hehe
Thank you for the recipe!
Stephanie says
Hi Sherrie!
So excited to have stumbled upon your blog via someone’s instagram! I’m so excited to try this recipe out, especially the lemon poppyseed part– such a stellar combo. My mom grows zucchini in our garden, but I can’t enjoy it grilled as a vegetable or side dish or really at all so I’m hoping this bread will change my mind!
Quick substitution– can I use something else instead of the applesauce? I know it’s a great binder, but applesauce doesn’t sit well in my stomach so I was hoping to sub some other paleo-type ingredient
Thanks! Stephanie
Sherrie says
Hi Stephanie – so glad you found me! The applesauce in this recipe is used in place of oil. You can use another a small ripe banana, an alternate fruit puree {mango, pumpkin?} or just coconut oil in its place. The substitutions should translate for the exact measurement. So 1/4 cup of applesauce would also be a 1/4 cup of oil or other fruit puree.
Let me know how it turns out. Baking with alternative flours is tricky, I cannot vouch for any tweaks of this recipe. It should be a-okay though. Please let me know how it turns out :) XO Sherrie
Laura Lyn says
I made this last night, and it came out delicious! This is the kind of recipe I will use for any/all holidays. It makes a gorgeous bread! Thank you so much Sherrie!
Sherrie says
Awesome! I’m so happy you loved it. It means so much to me to hear this was a success :)
XO Sherrie
Sue says
Hi. This looks so good, and I want to try making it so badly, but is there anyway I could replace the egg with something else?
Sherrie says
Hi Sue, so unfortunately baking with alternative flours is tricky. I cannot recommend using any egg replacements as I have not tried them myself. This recipe is tried and true as is. You are welcome to give it a go with an egg-replacer at your own risk. I am sorry, I wish I could offer up an easy solution…
If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out so I can recommend it to other egg-free readers!
XO – Sherrie
Maree says
Approximately how many carbs in total in a loaf of this bread please?
Sherrie says
Hi Maree, I don’t count calories so I don’t know. There are online calorie counters I am sure you could input the ingredients into and have it calculate it for you.
Nicole M says
I made this today, (with a little subbing) and it turned out beautifully! It was delicious, and looked really appealing, too. I ate it with drizzles of lemon-infused olive oil over it and cream cheese. So good!
This is how mine differed: I couldn’t find poppy seeds, so I subbed sunflower seeds. I didn’t want honey (too carby), and didn’t have apple sauce, so I subbed both of those ingredients with 1/3 cup of lemon-infused olive oil total. ( Any oil would do). I added an extra half teaspoon of baking powder because I reckoned the mixture would be heavier with the oil. I used 4 smaller eggs instead of 3 large ones.
I also covered the pan with foil until cooked through, and then uncovered for a further 5-10 mins to get golden top. It took about 45-50 mins to cook through.