½cupmelted coconut oil, see note for substitutions
½cup(113g)unsweetened applesauce
1tablespoonvanilla extract
2cups(about 283g)lightly packed shredded zucchini
3cups(426g)all-purpose or white wheat flour (or a combination - see note)
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonbaking powder
1cup(85g)coconut (optional)
Glaze:
1tablespooncoconut oil or butter
¼cupfreshly squeezed orange juice
1cup(114g)powdered sugar, plus more to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch pans and line the bottoms with parchment (optional but helps the bread not stick as much).
In a large bowl, rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers until it is fragrant and combined. Add the eggs, coconut oil, applesauce and vanilla and stir until combined. Stir in the zucchini. Add the flour, salt, soda, baking powder and coconut, if using, and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pans for 10 minutes. While it cools, make the glaze by combining the coconut oil or butter and orange juice and heating on the stovetop or in the microwave until the coconut oil/butter is melted (don't overheat the mixture). Whisk in the powdered sugar, adding more if you want the glaze sweeter and thicker.
Spoon the glaze over the warm loaves and let the bread rest for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Oil: you can sub several different things for the coconut oil (melted butter or a flavorless oil like canola or vegetable). The applesauce is in the recipe to compensate for oil - if you don't have it, you can sub it with the same amount of oil (so it would be 1 cup oil total in the recipe). Flour: I've made this bread with 100% all-purpose flour, 100% white wheat flour and a combination. My favorite is half unbleached all-purpose flour and half white wheat flour. Glaze: as written, the glaze is lightly sweet and fairly thin. If you want it sweeter/thicker, simply add more powdered sugar.Loaf Pans: also, the recipe makes two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaves but they aren't super tall - you could play around with adding the batter to a larger 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan (or maybe that size of pan + a mini) if you want a higher loaf.