I finally did it! I've been kicking around zucchini bread ideas for some time and after a few experiments I'm ready to post.
The idea is a modified version of a recipe my mom uses from an old cookbook. It intrigued me with it's use of crushed pineapple as a sweetener. Although the original recipe called for white flour, 2 cups of sugar, and a cup of oil, all of which I think are uncalled for.
My version is far less sweet as I ditch the sugar and use a combination of honey and molasses to add more flavor with just a touch of sweetness. It's apparently enough as the toddle DEVOURS this bread. He also LOVED helping me make all the experiments. Just look at my little sous chef!
I brought a loaf to work where it was well received and a few friends at the gym seemed to like it. Although I never trust face to face reviews as I know it's hard to tell someone you don't like what they made in person.
OK, can you tell I'm nervous about this one. :~) I think the more I work on a recipe the more I'm worried how you guys like it. It's a labor of love I suppose. 
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup (122g) of unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp (42g) honey
- 2 tbsp (40g) molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups (360g) whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts – ground
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp nutmeg
- 1 medium zucchini shredded (1 cup about 200g)
- 1 20oz can crushed pineapple drained
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Open the can of pineapple and place in a metal strainer in the sink to remove some of the juice while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
In large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the applesauce, honey, molasses, vanilla and beat until foamy and then beat some more. :~)
Ground the walnuts in a blender or food processor. Don't over process the oil in them will start to stick.
In another bowl, mix the ground walnuts, flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Stir the shredded zucchini and drained pineapple into the egg mixture.
Add the dry ingredient to the wet and stir until just blended.
The batter makes 2 large loafs or 6 mini loaves. You can even make 1 large and 3 small or 24 muffins (note: haven't tried the muffins YET!)
What ever you decide be sure to spray with non-stick cooking spray and dust with a bit of flour.
Bake the large loaves for about an hour, small loaves for around 40 minutes. Muffins probably half that (I'll update when I do it). A toothpick inserted should come out clean when it's done.
Here's the batch I made this morning and I just had to show you our mess of a kitchen when we were done. I may be the messiest cook EVER! (well I did have help) :~)
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1/12 Slice of a Large Loaf or ¼ of a Small Loaf | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 102 | 2g | 2g | old: 2 | new: 3 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 6g | 0g | 18g | 3g | |
Just made this today and it turned out great...didn't have nuts so added ground flax seeds and chia seeds. Great recipe, thanks!
I just found your website and love looking around at the delicious recipes. I have two little ones and these ideas are going to help a lot. I actually have been making a Cooking Light Zuchinni-Pineapple Bread for years now but it's so sweet I always feel like I'm feeding my kids cake not bread. Cannot wait to try this out.
Jeannie - I don't see why not. I'm just not a big maple syrup kind of gal. Let me know if you decide to try it!
Would a high quality maple syrup be ok instead of molasses?
Thank you:)
Hi Theresa - Estimating I think it would lower then about 20 cals a serving still 2 points.
Haven't tried the muffins but I'm sure it would be fine. Let us know!
Roni,
How would omitting the nuts (allergic) change the calorie count? Any chance it would lower the points??
Also has anyone tried to make this into muffins?
My neighbors have been giving us zucchini all the time so I decided it was time for bread. Thank goodness you came to the rescue with a recipe! The kids helped me make some today. We made mini loafs and a couple muffins for us to munch on. While they definitely were not as sweet as I like (which I know is my problem not the recipe at all) there were very yummy. My house smells delicious too with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Thanks for another great recipe!! You will always be my Food Network Star!!
Thanks for a sugar-free recipe! I made this as muffins ( about 21 minutes in the oven) and they came out fantastic. My two year old loved them!
It's set up to print the photo of the recipe. If you don't want them then just copy and paste it into another program like word and delete the photos.
Sorry, I have a printer friendly (no navigation, header, footer, etc) but it includes the pics.
Hope that helps!
-Roni
When I print the recipes I get photos and all. How can i print just the recipe? I thought i saw somewhere way back in a comment how to do that. Thanks so much.....
LOL - because I don't like chunks in my breads. :~)
Thanks for the recipe..
One question though…why ground the walnuts?
Made this tonight and just tasted it. Like I said before, I make a lot of zucchini breads, so I was expecting something like that. It wasn't sweet enough (the point, I know). I just sprinkled a little cinnamon/sugar on it and it was great. The husband will try it later - he eats everything, though. Thanks for encouraging us to try to change our recipes - I revamped my banana bread recipe replacing the 1/2C butter w/ the unsweetened applesauce. The texture was different, but it tasted great!
Kelly - I don't follow South Beach so I can't say for sure, but it's whole grain, low fat, high fiber with minimal sugar, I would think it is. Anyone else on South Beach?
OMG this looks delish. Do you know if it's SBD appropriate?
Zesty - Thanks Zesty! Hope you like it!!
This looks amazing. My mom used to make a variation of this bread when I was growing up. As you can tell by my foodbuzz profile.... flour is one of my favorite ingredients. I am defintely a bread baby - and I will be trying this next week. Love it... great site. Keep up the good work. I can't wait to read your blog everyday!
Zesty
Thanks for letting me know! Glad you guys are liking it!
Came back to report that I made the zucchini-pineapple bread and it just came out of the oven. I tasted it and I really like it. It's very moist and it was pretty easy to make.
It passed my husband's test and I have to admit that I'm a little surprised since he doesn't like "wheat" anything.
Anyway, just wanted to say great job, we love it!
LOVED IT!! Wow, this is soo yummy! I doubled the recipe and gave to my neighbor also on WW and they LOVED it too. Thanks for the recipe! One personal note, I don't like molases so I doubled the honey AND I made homemade "thick" style applesauce that added some yummy flavor too. Thanks, I will make this one over and over again!
Amanda - I just don't like chunks! LOL Plus, since I used so little by grinding them I spread the flavor out a bit. If you just crush it will be fine!
Just had to let you know I made this over the weekend. Unfortunately, mine came out a little dry at first but moistened up after sitting overnight. Next time I wouldn't bake it for the whole 60 minutes,probably cut down to 50. Hubby liked it, but the toddlers no such much. Me personally, I thought it was great with a little spray butter (to make up for some of the dryness). Thanks so much!
Oooo...this bread sounds yummy!
This looks so good!
One question though...why ground the walnuts? Do you just not like the nut chunks? I love nuts in breads like this so I am wondering if I just crushed them if it would still be okay? I don't see why not. What do you think?
Rebecca - Thanks so MUCH! I appreciate the feedback! You know, I get the baking soda comment a lot (on other recipes too). I thought it was a bit much in the original recipe but I didn't change it for some reason. Honestly I don't taste it, I never do!
Thanks again!
Roni-
I made this today. My variations are as follows:
I used an 8 oz can of pineapple and then used a cup of sugarless homemade chunky applesauce that I made yesterday along with the 1/2 c of unsweetened applesauce called for. I didn't have any nuts so those got left out.
My review: I could taste the baking soda. I think 2tsp was too much. I should have known when I put the batter into the pans that it was too much because I could smell it. Overall the texture is good and I like that they are not too sweet. I think if I spread a little apple butter on it that will take away the baking soda taste. Good Job.
I also made the zucchini pancakes tonight with the remainder of the zucchini and really liked them as well. The husband and the kids uh ... not so much...oh well more for me.
Thanks again for all you do keep it up.
Sure sounds good and looks good!!!
I will try it right away.
The recipe I use all the time calls for crushed pineapple. It is good . But not Weight Watchers~~
I am excited to try this.
THANKS YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!!!
Mary - That's a fun idea! Apples and Zucchini go so well together! I don't see why not, they would still add the nice sweetness. You may need a but more liquid, I'd maybe double the applesauce along with it. Just a thought!
This does look great! Just as a matter of taste, do you think peeled and chopped apples could work instead of pineapple?
I have been making zucchini bread for my husband and his co-workers for their long hours over harvest. I have been feeling left out, but no more!! I am so going to make this this weekend!!
This looks great!! I just made a zucchini bread that had pineapple, but this looks great as well 🙂 I like the idea of using honey and molasses to sweeten it thought!
Recipe looks great, thanks!
Oooohhh....I have been looking for a good zucchini bread recipe and think this might just be a winner! I am definitely going to make some this weekend and actually have all the ingredients at home right now. Thanks so much for this most anticipated recipe.
Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely try it.
I'm really enjoying your website. There are so many recipes I would like to try. I especially appreciate the "Toddler Approved" tags!
It looks delicious! I've been a reader/subscriber for several months now, but I've never commented. I just want to say thank you for sharing your story and your life. I use many of your recipes. Thank you for your hard work. You are a true inspiration for getting healthy and living a healthy lifestyle!!
Yum!
This looks awesome! I am totally going to make it this weekend!