Olive Oil and Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 21 x 11 cm loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 3 cm overhang along the long sides to serve as handles.

Trim the ends of the zucchini and shred it on the coarse side of a box grater. Transfer the shredded zucchini onto a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze once or twice over the sink to remove excess surface liquid, leaving the zucchini moist but not dripping wet.

Zest the lemon using a microplane zester directly into a large mixing bowl, avoiding the bitter white pith.

Add the light brown sugar to the large mixing bowl containing the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar using clean fingertips for 30 seconds until the mixture becomes fragrant and resembles damp sand.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt until thoroughly blended and free of lumps.

Add the extra virgin olive oil, plain whole milk Greek yogurt, large eggs, and pure vanilla extract to the bowl with the lemon-sugar mixture. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is glossy, smooth, and emulsified.

Pour the whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Using a silicone spatula, fold the ingredients together just until large streaks of flour disappear, leaving a few dry pockets.

Add the grated zucchini and 50g of the chopped walnuts (if using) to the batter. Gently fold with the silicone spatula until the zucchini is evenly suspended throughout the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface evenly with the silicone spatula. Scatter the remaining 25g of chopped walnuts across the top surface, pressing them very lightly into the batter.

Transfer the pan to the center rack of the preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean or with a few moist crumbs, and an instant-read digital thermometer inserted into the thickest center section registers between 93°C and 96°C (200°F and 205°F), thoroughly exceeding the safe minimum threshold of 71°C (160°F) for egg cookery.

Set the loaf pan on a wire cooling rack and allow the bread to rest inside the pan undisturbed for 10 minutes to allow the delicate crumb structure to set.

Grasp the parchment paper overhangs, gently lift the zucchini bread out of the loaf pan, and place it directly onto the wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature before slicing.