Yellow Squash Bread | Move Over, Zucchini!

Why does zucchini get all the glory in baked goods? Have we forgotten about its cousin, the humble yellow squash? Why should yellow squash be relegated to sautés or kebabs when zucchinis (courgettes, for my friends across the pond) are baked up in all manner of breads, muffins, cakes, and the like? Armed with an ample harvest of yellow squash, I set out to find a bread recipe that specifically called for it and kept coming up empty. But luckily, young yellow squash and zucchini can be used interchangeably! The sweet, nutty flavor profile is similar and the skins on both are nice and thin. So if you, too, have been on the prowl for a yellow squash bread recipe, then read on, my squash-loving friend.

Recipe here, and more information after the jump. I’ve been on the internet long enough to know that the most common gripe with food blogs and online recipes is that the blogger rambles on for too long before sharing the recipe. But if you happen to enjoy rambles, there will be some below!

Yellow Squash Bread

Don't let the lackluster name fool you! This bread is a rockstar and a new summer staple around here. Move over, zucchini. There's a new sheriff in town.

3.70 from 60 votes

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Course Dessert

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup grated yellow squash large seeds removed
• ¼ cup canola oil could sub avocado, or refined coconut oil
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup white granulated sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder

Instructions

 

• ​​Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grate summer squash, place in fine mesh colander, sprinkle with a dash of salt and toss to coat. Let this sit and strain for 5 minutes while you do the following steps.
• Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Mix oil, applesauce, honey, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Either press yellow squash into colander or transfer to cheesecloth and wring out moisture. I got close to ½ cup of liquid while doing this! You don’t have to squeeze it bone dry, just enough that it isn’t sopping wet. Add yellow squash to oil mixture and combine thoroughly.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, being careful to not overmix. Mix until no trace of flour remains.
• Pour batter into 8×4 or 9×5 loaf pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on oven strength. Check with a toothpick or knife at 50 minute mark, adding 5 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. For me it was 55 minutes exactly.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tired: zucchini bread

Wired: yellow squash bread

And if you’re sitting there scratching your noggin wondering, “What’s the difference between zucchini/yellow squash/summer squash”…fear not. We gardeners bandy about the term summer squash — think of it like an umbrella, and yellow squash and zucchini both fall underneath it. From The Kitchn:

“Besides the color, the main difference between the two vegetables is the shape. Zucchini is straight, while yellow squash has a fat bottom (editor’s note: same!) and tapers towards the neck. Yellow squash can also have more seeds in its flesh. Flavor-wise, both are mild-tasting with a hint of vegetable sweetness.”

From The Kitchn: “Are Zucchini and Summer Squash Actually the Same Thing?” Article

As yellow squash matures, it develops larger seeds and the flesh becomes more watery, so pick them on the earlier side if you want to swap one in for a recipe that calls for zucchini. And just to be safe, I always like to strain some excess moisture from grated summer squash (yellow and zucchini alike)– shred it up, sprinkle with a dash of salt and let sit for a bit. Then, strain through a cheesecloth, squeezing to remove most of the liquid. This part is key if you’re baking any sort of bread! (Note: this tip also works well with tomatoes, minus the squeezing.) I’ve encountered recipes that swear you don’t need to do this step but I’ve gotten burned too many times with an underbaked middle to trust anyone anymore. So here, we drain the excess liquid! That sounds creepy and scientific and kind of morgue-like, but I digress. 

I found this recipe from The Seasoned Mom and zhuzhed it up a bit — cutting the sugar and oil, swapping in some ingredients, and adjusting spices. Since I like our daughter to be able to have whatever I make, I knew I needed to cut the called for 1 cup of sugar. Wowza! No one wants a wired, sugar high toddler. I also didn’t want 1/2 cup of oil in the bread, so I halved that and subbed in unsweetened applesauce for the other 1/4 cup, to keep the moisture balance similar.

This bread came out so well, and I just rediscovered it in the basement freezer, so if you’ll excuse me…I’m going to go put a slice in the toaster oven and slather some butter on it. I like to flash freeze most baked goods so A) we don’t have to eat a ton in a few days and B) for delightful freezer surprises like this. If you try this recipe, please do let me know!