Zucchini, carrot and sun-dried tomato bread
Zucchini bread is something that is super easy to make. And then, when you add all sorts of other yummy flavours – well, it takes it to another level. I’ve thrown all sorts of things into this recipe. You can change things around to suit yourself. Just keep the basic dough the same and you’ll always have a successful loaf. You can see by the photo that I’ve made individual loaves. If you’re like me, it’s always nice to have something tucked away in the freezer for those busy times. And a couple of single loaves are fantastic warmed and sliced onto a share platter.
I have to admit that when these came out of the oven, my husband and I just roughly sliced them and smeared them in butter. They were still warm enough that we had to be careful not to let the butter slide off before we got it into our mouth! Decadent and so GOOD!
Some notes about extras I added. You can put 1/2 cup of mixed seeds in to boost the protein ad fibre content. I used a combination of chia seeds, sunflower kernels and flax seeds. But use any sort of combination, or just the one. They give it a bit of a crunch factor too. Also, if you find the feta is not to your taste, use parmesan or tasty cheddar.
The fresh herb sprigs on the top are a bit of fun and make them look a bit special. After they are cooked, they have a subtle flavour, so don’t worry about them being overwhelming. Leave them off if you don’t have access to them. If you use edible lavender, then be sparing with it. It’s quite a strong flavour, but looks really pretty. The luxury of living in northern Tasmania is access to Bridestowe Lavender Farm – gorgeous culinary lavender at my doorstep!
Zucchini, carrot and sun-dried tomato bread
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- grater
- 8 mini loaf pans or one large one
Ingredients
- 300 gram grated zucchini water squeezed out
- 300 gram grated carrot
- 60 gram sun-dried tomatoes in oil – drained and finely chopped
- 100 gram soft feta crumbled
- 100 gram natural yogurt
- 2 tspn crushed garlic
- 11/4 cup self-raising flour might need more, depending on the water level left in the vegetables
- 1 tspn black pepper
- 5 eggs large eggs, usually 60+grams
- fresh herb sprigs rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly spray your mini loaf pans, or the large pan.
- Put all the ingredients (minus the sprigs of herbs) into a large mixing bowl and combine well.The mixture should be moister than a traditional bread dough, but not so runny that it easily falls off a spoon. Add a bit more flour until you get roughly the right consistency. If too dry, add a but more yoghurt.
- Divide evenly between your loaf pans and top with a sprig of your favourite herb. Best not to use soft herbs such as basil – they lose their flavour.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Bake for an hour if using one large loaf tin. Cool in tin/s for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.They freeze really well, and defrost in no time for a quick lunch or an addition to a share platter.