Zucchini Bread with Crispy Oat Crumble

Cheers to vegetables for breakfast!  

I don't know who thought of putting zucchini in a bread, but I don't care. It's delectable. 

I was first introduced to zucchini bread by my friend Kit, who baked some for me last summer. It was delicious. I couldn't believe I'd lived so much of my life thinking that banana bread was the only sweet bread worth my time and effort.

In addition to being filled with veggies, this bread is made with hearty whole wheat flour and sweetened with maple syrup. Toasted walnuts add a nice crunch to this moist bread and the sweet, cinnamon-y topping earns you extra fancy points. 

This is a perfect recipes for one of those "What can I bring to this potluck/event/party that is super tasty AND no will know is vegan and plant-based?" moments. 

If you only have all-purpose flour on hand or do not care about this recipe being whole-grain, you can easily substitute white flour for whole wheat flour. If you're not into loaves (or don't own a loaf pan…) this same recipe can easily be adapted to muffins. Just keep in mind that you'll have to decrease the making time to about 30-35 minutes. 

Try not to eat all the batter before it makes it in the loaf pan. Or just eat the batter, it’s your life and you should be able to do as you darn well please.  

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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 slices or 12 muffins

Ingredients: 

Zucchini Bread: 

• ½ cup honey or maple syrup (120g) 
• 2 Flax Eggs (A total of 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed + 5 tbsp. hot water)
• ½ cup plant milk (120g) 
• 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (you’ll need 1-2 small-to-medium zucchinis. After grating, squeeze out the excess moisture over the sink before stirring it into the batter) (200g, after squeezing) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour** (200g) 
• ¾ cup roughly chopped raw walnuts or pecans (optional) (75g)  
• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil* (56g) 

Oat Crumble: 

• ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts (25g) 
• ⅓  cup rolled oats (25g) 
• 2 tbsp. agave or maple syrup (30g) 
• ½ tsp cinnamon  
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 375°F. Roughly chop the walnuts. If your walnuts are raw, toast them on the stove top in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly This should take 3-5 minutes (but watch closely, they can burn quickly!) 

2. Combine the ground flaxseed with hot water. Set aside until thickened (about 10 minutes).*  

3. Grate the zucchini using a fine grater.** Press out excess moisture.*** 

4. In a large bowl, mix the zucchini with melted coconut oil, agave/maple syrup, flax eggs and plant milk. 

5. In a separate bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well combined.

6. Combine the dry and wet ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in chopped walnuts. 

7. Make the crumble topping my mixing oats, walnuts, agave/maple syrup, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.**** 

8. Pour the batter into a lined 9x5 loaf pan and evenly top with the crumble. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Tips and Tricks: 

*This is called a "flax egg." This acts to bind ingredients in the way an egg would, but it's vegan! This is a common ingredient in many vegan baking recipes. After the flax egg sets, it will be thick and gelatinous, like a whisked egg
**Larger graters create chucks of zucchini. Using a fine grater will help incorporate the zucchini into to bread more easily.  
***I do this after I've packed my shredded zucchini into a measuring cup. I press it down firmly with my finger to take out any extra liquid. This should not take more than a second or two -- the zucchini should still have some remaining moisture. 
****You do not need to roast the walnuts for this step, they will roast in the oven.