Banana Zucchini Walnut Bread

I spent a lot of time this past weekend bunkered up at home, hiding from the extreme heat that's been hanging around Philly. I know it's not the most logical thing to heat up the oven during a heat wave, but you have to go with it when the baking urge strikes!

I had an abundance of Jersey Fresh zucchini and some leftover bananas — have I mentioned that I can't eat bananas with any brown spots on them? They're just too...banana-y. Anyway, I was tossing around the idea of whether to make banana bread or zucchini bread when I thought to myself, "Self! Would it be possible to make a bread that uses both?" (FYI: Self said, "Try it!")

So I gave it a shot and really love the results! Maybe even more than your average zucchini or banana bread. With both of the ingredients thrown into one recipe, it has a nice balance of flavors without any one being too strong. I tried to limit the amount of oil and threw in some fiber for good measure too. All good things! (If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute regular white flour.)

Banana Zucchini Walnut Bread (makes 1 8.5" x 4.5" loaf) 

Ingredients: 

2 cups zucchini, shredded
2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (4 oz)
1/3 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
2 eggs 
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (plus a few for sprinkling on top if desired)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F, and grease and flour your loaf pan(s). I like to spray with cooking spray and then flour — you can also use butter, but I find this easier.
• Shred the zucchini by either using a shredder blade of your food processor (my preferred method) or by using a box grater (be sure to drain off any extra liquid that may come out of the zucchini — I prefer the food processor because all of the moisture stays in the zucchini because the blades are sharper).

• In a large bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, bananas, sugar, oil, applesauce, and eggs. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Finally, fold in the walnuts.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan(s) and sprinkle the top with a few extra chopped walnuts. These will toast up nicely while your bread bakes!  
• Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. If you use smaller loaf pans, fill the batter to about 3/4 of an inch from the top of the pan and be sure to check the bread sooner since it will likely cook faster.

This bread can sit at room temp for about 2 days or in the fridge for a little longer. Enjoy for breakfast or a quick snack!


Click here for a printable recipe!