When bloggers say, ‘I’m so excited to bring you this recipe’ it comes across to me as disingenuous . So, you know what I am about to say, right? I am so excited to bring you this recipe, and I am very sincere. You should make this.

This zucchini bread is all grown up. Not the traditional oily ‘bread’ that is really a cake, loaded with oil and sugar.

This is dense and moist, bright and not overly sweet bread ,made with olive oil and lemon and yogurt. It is a perfect breakfast treat or snack.

I saw this recipe in the New York Times and followed it almost exactly, but I did make a few changes. I didn’t use the traditional cinnamon, it seemed out of place to me with the bright lemon and complex taste addition of olive oil. I used ginger and I love how it tasted with the lemon. I upped the lemon zest too. I will note the changes I made in parentheses in the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS
Butter, for the pan
1 ½ cups/185 gr grated zucchini ( didn’t measure, I used two medium size zucchini)
⅔ cup/140 gr light brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
⅓ cup/80 gr olive oil (or other
oil such as safflower or canola)
⅓ cup/80 gr plain Greek
yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon/5 gr vanilla
extract
1 ½ cups/190 gr all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat  and 1 cup all-purpose flour)
½ teaspoon/3 gr salt
½ teaspoon/3 gr baking soda
½ teaspoon/2 gr baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons/4 gr ground
cinnamon (I didn’t use cinnamon, I used dried ginger)
¼ teaspoon/1 gr ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon/2 gr finely grated
lemon zest (I doubled the amount of lemon zest)
½ cup/55 gr chopped walnuts (I used toasted pecans)
(optional)

PREPARATION
By Melissa Clark YIELD One 8-inch loaf TIME 1 1/2 hours (that is mixing and baking time)

Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch loaf pan.
Step 2
In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the grated
zucchini, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. (I mixed everything but the grated zucchini together, then I mixed the dry ingredients, then I mixed the zucchini and the nuts)
Step 3
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest
and spices in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet
ingredients. Fold in the walnuts if using.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 (I baked mine 65 minutes)
minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The bread will be
done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Step 5
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan
and cool on a rack completely before cutting and serving