The original recipe for this zucchini pineapple bread is from my old order Amish grandmother who also happens to be the Bishop’s wife in a branch of Lancaster county Amish. I have many good memories of spending summertime at Gramma’s house, helping her with garden work, sneaking candy from her candy drawer and the sound of her hydraulic wringer washer as it hummed along every morning to keep up after her large piles of laundry from a family of 12 children (minus the handful who had already married and moved out).
Several summers ago I experimented with adding pineapple chunks to our zucchini bread and now it is the only way my husband wants it, he will literally go out of his way to pick up a can of pineapple chunks for me so that I can make this deliciously moist zucchini bread for him. I definitely recommend giving pineapple zucchini bread a try, but if you prefer the plain version of this zucchini bread with walnuts, you may enjoy the original recipe for Amish zucchini bread .
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Amish pineapple zucchini bread
Equipment
- 2 Aluminum loaf pans (linked below)
- Mixing bowls (linked below)
- Vegetable grater (linked below)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 20 oz. pineapple chunks drained and cut in half
- 2 cups freshly shredded zucchini *see note
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350:
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
- Add beaten eggs, vanilla extract and oil to the dry ingredients, then mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined (the batter should feel thick at this point). Gently fold in the drained pineapple chunks and zucchini. Avoid overmixing the batter.
- Line two loaf pans with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray, then divide the zucchini bread batter between them. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the tops are cracking and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before slicing, then enjoy! Storage notes and more below.
Notes
Equipment needed for this Amish pineapple zucchini bread:
- Aluminum bread pans I prefer to use lighter colored aluminum bread pans to bake zucchini bread in. The lighter colored lining helps the bread to bake more evenly and to get a nice even color.
- Mixing bowl A mixing bowl is needed for combining the ingredients for the pineapple zucchini bread batter.
- Vegetable grater A vegetable grater/shredder is needed for shredding the zucchini down to a finer size before adding it to the batter.
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Ingredients needed for this Amish pineapple zucchini bread: Shredded zucchini, eggs, vanilla extract, pineapple chunks, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, bread flour, sugar, and oil.
Can I use all purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, you can also use all purpose flour in this zucchini bread recipe, but it may change the texture and height of the zucchini bread because all purpose flour has less gluten than bread flour. Keep an eye on the wetness of your batter if adding all purpose flour (the wetness may also differ from the batter with bread flour added). Add more or less all purpose flour to the batter as needed.
Step 1: Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Add beaten eggs, vanilla extract and oil to the dry ingredients, then mix to combine (the batter should feel thick at this point). Fold in the drained pineapple chunks and zucchini, mixing just until combined into the batter. Be sure to avoid overmixing the batter.
Why is it necessary to mix the dry ingredients before adding the wet?
Mixing the dry ingredients before wet ingredients is important for cakes, muffins, sweet bread and other cake-like batters because it creates a softer crumb and more moist texture. To avoid a tough and dry textured sweet bread, do not overmix the wet and dry ingredients. Gently fold in the shredded zucchini and pineapple chunks in the end, again being careful not to overmix the batter.
Step 3: Line two loaf pans with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray, then divide the pineapple zucchini bread batter between them. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the tops are dry and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Why is my zucchini bread cracking on the top?
Having cracks on top of zucchini bread is actually a zucchini and sweet bread signature because the bread expands as it bakes and breaks through the crustier outer layer. Having cracks on top of the zucchini bread is actually a good indication of a fluffy, well textured bread underneath and can be a sign of doneness, but I still like to use the cracks to insert a toothpick into the middle to ensure it is fully baked. If your zucchini bread has some cracks on top, don’t worry, it’s just doing its job!
Allow the zucchini bread to cool for an hour or two before slicing, then serve and enjoy! My husband likes butter on his zucchini pineapple bread, but I am a big fan of spreading apple butter on top of a warm slice of zucchini bread with those juicy chunks of pineapple tucked inside. You can also try it with an Amish specialty: Amish cup cheese!
Storage for this Amish pineapple zucchini bread:
Because of the pineapple chunks in this zucchini bread, leftovers need to be kept refrigerated and should not be kept at room temperature for longer than 24 hours. You can also freeze the pineapple zucchini bread after allowing it to cool completely and then tightly wrapping it or storing the bread in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Feel free to pin this recipe for later and be sure to tag me on Instagram to show off a photo of your own creation of this recipe. Thank you for your support!
This sounds delicious. Can yellow squash be substituted for the Zucchini? Ty.
Yes, yellow squash can be substituted for zucchini, but I have not tried it personally.