Zucchini Muffins - Simply Made Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my zucchini muffins rise? ›

Over-mixing the batter. You'll know that you've done this if the muffins also turn out tough and chewy. This prevents rising because the gluten network is too tight to expand around the gas bubbles.

Don't bother peeling the zucchini.

Unless you really dislike seeing tiny flecks of green in your bread, you don't have to go through the extra step of peeling zucchini, especially if you use smaller zucchini instead of big ones.

The most common reason for zucchini breadand other quick breads (and cakes) to collapse as they cool is the ingredients are too vigorously or quickly mixed, which incorporates lots of less stable air bubbles into the batter.

The idea here is to start the muffins in a very hot oven for just a short amount of time. This activates the baking powder and allows the muffins to shoot up in height quickly. We then turn the heat down and continue to cook for longer. This is done to avoid over-browning and overbaking.

Three things will keep muffins from rising fully: not having the oven temp hot enough, not mixing the batter enough and using muffin cups that are too large. Start by heating your oven for 10 to 15 minutes before baking to bring it up to the temperature called for in the recipe.

The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in pan for 1 hour before removing from pan. You can slice the bread at this point, but it will still be warm in the center and may not slice neatly.

When sliced, 1 medium zucchiniyielded about 1 to 1.25 cups and if grated, you end up with about 2/3 cup of tamped down zucchini. If you need 1 cup of cooked sliced zucchini, due to shrinkage while heated it will take about 3 medium zucchini, sliced, to hit the mark.

The easiest ways to grate zucchini are by using a box grater or a food processor. These instructions work for yellow squash or patty-pan squash as well.

The fastest way to grate zucchini is using a food processor with a grating attachment. This method won't always create the most consistent shreds, but that won't matter if you're baking the zucchini. It will melt into the other ingredients as it bakes, making the shred size less important.

Baking soda is a leavening agent, which means it helps the bread rise by producing carbon dioxide gas when it reacts with acids in the batter. Here's what could happen if you use too much baking soda: Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread.

Do you squeeze out the liquid from zucchini for bread? ›

Yes! I simply squeeze the water out of the zucchini over the sink before using in this recipe. Sometimes, I squeeze the zucchini twice to make sure the excess water is removed. Some zucchini are very wet when grated and others relatively dry; squeezing out the excess water helps to regulate ingredients in the recipe.

If you've never grated zucchini before, it's super easy—just shred it on the large holes of a box grater. There's no need to peel the zucchini or remove the seeds. You also shouldn't press or squeeze any of the excess moisture out of it. You want all that to go into the bread!

But a common problem bakers face is flat zucchini bread. Food chemist Shirley Corriher suggests making sure the baking powder is fresh -- and using less leavening. There are few things more confounding or vexing in the kitchen than a dish gone wrong.

Start the oven on high

Bake your muffins at 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop the temperature to the more standard 350°F for the remainder of the bake time. This method sparks the leavening agents (especially baking powder) in the batter to react quicker, creating that gorgeously risen top.

Over-mixing – If you mix the muffin batter too much it can create a VERY dense muffin with huge pockets of air inside.