Apple Carrot Zucchini Bread
Mini loaves of quick bread filled with apple, carrot, and zucchini. These are summer and autumn in one bite!
We’re getting into that time of year when summer and autumn produce is overlapping. The garden is bursting with the last zucchini of summer and early fall carrots, while the trees are laden with apples ready to be picked. Sweltering summer winds are being replaced with cool autumn breezes, and it seems like the perfect time to bake a few loaves of harvest bread to welcome the changing seasons.
These mini loaves of quick bread are my solution to using all the bounty begging to be savored. I make them every year around this time. Each loaf is filled with oats, apple chunks, shredded carrots, and shredded zucchini, then spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I also use unsweetened applesauce and apple cider in the batter to infuse flavor into every part of this recipe.
I recommend using a food processor fitted with a grater attachment as it makes it incredibly easy to process the carrots and zucchini. Everything gets mixed together in a big bowl, then the batter is spooned into small tins for baking.
In terms of pan size, I used mini loaf pans that are 5.75 x 3.25 x 2.25 inches. I like using this size because each loaf is perfectly sized for freezing. No need to slice up a large loaf and freeze individual slices. Instead, just wrap each of these mini breads in saran wrap and place them in an air-tight container in the freezer, where they will last for 3 months. Mini loaves also happen to be the ideal size for gift-giving!
The moist and fluffy loaves are scrumptious on their own, but I do love to top a thick slice with apple butter or maple cream for the best of the summer and fall in one bite. A pat of regular butter is also lovely, especially if you warm your slice in the toaster oven first. In fact, on a crisp autumn morning, you simply can’t beat a slice of this simple bread with a steaming mug of coffee on the side.
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