No, this isn’t a secret recipe that drops pounds for swimsuit season. You won’t win a new two-piece by eating a loaf. The name was coined by my daughter, and Sarah’s sister, Katie. We were experimenting with quick bread recipes a few years ago, and Katie had the brilliant idea to combine banana and zucchini bread. Banana + Zucchini = Bikini! We had no idea the result would be such a moist, flavor-packed bread. Katie is a genius. This has become our favorite quick bread recipe, especially during August, when a new zucchini appears in the garden daily, and doubles in size about every hour.
We like to use whole wheat flour, but Bikini Bread works great with all-purpose flour or a combination of both. We’ve also used applesauce in place of much of the usual oil, which makes this bread even more moist. It doubles or even triples very well, and the loaves can be frozen for up to six months. Bake away for a few hours when the zucchini’s on, and it can be bikini season all through the winter! Thanks for an awesomely delicious invention, Katie!
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 small zucchinis
- 2-3 bananas
- 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine flour with dry ingredients in mixer. Blend together.
- Add eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla and mix until just wet.
- Peel zucchini and grate enough to make one cup.
- Mash bananas to make one cup.
- Chop walnuts, if using.
- Add zucchini, bananas and nuts to batter and stir until just combined.
- Grease and flour two large (standard 8x4" size) loaf pans.
- Spread dough into pans, smooth tops and bake 35-40 minutes, until toothpick or knife comes out almost clean.
- Let cool in pans for ten minutes. Run a knife around edges and remove to cooling rack.
- If freezing, cool completely first.
Notes
Once you add wet ingredients, stir just until mixture is combined. Overworking will toughen the bread. When baking, If the bread is browning too much, cover loosely with foil.
2 Comments
Love the name. Banana and zucchini are great together. I put them in my waffles.
Christine, I’ve never thought to put them in waffles! I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for the idea! Happy cooking 🙂