Recipe: Lemon Summer Squash Bread

Well, it’s here again. That time of the year where (everyone else’s) garden is overflowing with summer squash! Giant zucchini the size of small children, having escaped detection all summer long, are being discovered all over town right now as I write. Huge yellow squashes are popping up by the hundreds, piling up as fast as they can be picked. “I only planted one plant,” my friends lament as they set down laundry baskets overflowing with canary-yellow fruit, “And now I can’t get into my kitchen because they’re piled up everywhere!”  Every Sunday at church friends and neighbors are showing up with their arms full of squash, begging people to please, just do your Christian duty and take one more squash home! Every time we have guests over for dinner, they come bearing…squash. Even though our garden is once again completely void of summer squash (how can that be possible? I planted at least 4 plants and still…vines all over the place, no fruit) I am still overrun by summer squash of all sizes and shapes. They are so prevalent in our kitchen that my kids have taken to defacing innocent produce…

What, you never have to worry about coming face to face with a squash pirate in your fridge? Well, it’s possible my kids are just weird. At any rate, I’ve started to notice that the yellow squash are getting passed over for the green ones. Which is really too bad, because they’re just as tasty. It occurred to me that maybe the reason the poor yellow squash were being neglected was because when people see a giant zucchini, they immediately think 100 loaves of zucchini bread whereas when you see a giant yellow squash you think….squash. Yippee. So I set out to determine if zucchini bread could be made from its jauntily colored cousin. I had a pile of them on my kitchen counter, so why not experiment?

I decided to try the lemon zucchini bread I’d seen floating around the internet lately, and found a yummy recipe on the My Recipes website for Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread. I made the switch from zucchini to yellow squash, plus changed a few other ingredients (yogurt instead of sour cream, a little less sweetener) and gave it a whirl.

First, shred your squash in a food processor. I discovered that when you’re shredding a lot of squash, it goes much faster if you cut them lengthwise into long strips and then run those through…much easier! You’ll want to zest a lemon as well. Then, cream butter with organic evaporated cane juice or rapadura, and add eggs. Mix the flour of your choice (I used an organic gluten free mix) with a little all natural baking soda, then alternately add the dry mixture and some yogurt. Finally, mix this batter in with your shredded squash, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Easy!

Wow! I think it’s even better than zucchini bread, and the happy yellow color complements the lemon taste perfectly. Success! Friends, don’t pass those yellow squash up. They’re just as good in baked goods as their green counterparts, and they’re still great sauteed with a little butter and garlic. Instead of running the opposite direction when you see someone heading your way with an arm full of yellow squash, just smile and happily accept them. I just made a triple batch of summer squash bread, and I bet it won’t be hard to find a home for it!

Yield: 1 loaf

Lemon Summer Squash Bread

Print

This lemon summer squash bread is perfect for when your garden is overflowing with all that delicious summer squash. Adapted from this recipe.

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup organic, grass fed butter
• 1 cup evaporated cane juice or rapadura
• 3 large organic, cage free eggs
• 1 1/2 cups organic flour (gluten free works well)
• 1/2 teaspoon all natural baking soda
• 1/4 cup organic yogurt (make your own
• 1 cup shredded organic yellow summer squash (or use zucchini...whatever you've got)
• 2Tablespoons organic lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons organic poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. In a mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking soda. Add it a little at a time, alternating with the yogurt or sour cream.
4. Mix in the shredded squash, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.
5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean (note: it took my bread closer to an hour and a half to bake, possibly because I used gluten free flour. I then noticed that the reviews of the recipe also noted that it took longer to cook, so plan to check it after 40 minutes and then keep checking for up to an hour after that).

Looking for more delicious real food recipes? I’ve got your back!

I’ve put together 85 incredible dishes that are full of flavor, super yummy, and good for you, too. From main dishes to desserts (and everything in between) you’ll have some fun new eats that I know you’ll love.

Best part? The ebook is only 2 bucks. It’s a total no-brainer, right? Right. Click here to check it out.

Is there an overabundance of summer squash where you live? What do you do with it?

SIGN UP FOR FREE UPDATES, OFFERS, & TIPS.

Thank you for supporting this site with purchases made through links in this article.