It is summer squash season! Both zucchini and yellow squash (the two most popular of the four summer squash varieties) are ready and abundant right now in home gardens, farmers’ markets, and grocery stores. We’ve used zucchini frequently in a number of dishes over the years. (Here’s a few of our top favorites: Caprese Zoodle Salad; Tomato & Zucchini Casserole; Corn, Zucchini, & Tomatoes, with Goat Cheese; and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.) But we don’t cook or bake with yellow squash nearly as much. It’s time to change that!

I’ll start with a quick bread. Yellow squash makes a wonderful quick bread, just as zucchini does. This version has a subtle lemon flavor due to the lemon juice, zest, and candied lemon peel used in the batter and it gets an additional hit of lemon in the glaze. It makes a wonderfully seasonable & snackable bread!

Lemon & Yellow Squash Bread (adapted from thisdelicioushouse.com) Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 1 hour, Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients:

Bread

• 1/2 pound yellow squash (1 cup grated)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup lemon juice)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup candied, diced lemon peel

Honey Lemon Glaze

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set it aside. Grate the squash using the large holes of a grater and squeeze out any moisture.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.

Beat in the eggs, yogurt, milk, lemon zest, and juice until well combined.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Fold in the cup of grated squash and the candied lemon peel.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan onto the rack and allow it to cool completely.

When the bread is completely cooled, make the glaze. Whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Whisk in the powdered sugar.

Pour the glaze over top of the cooled bread. Allow the glaze to harden before slicing.

Slice and serve. Refrigerate the remainder of the loaf in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yellow squash also makes a wonderful snackable bread!  ~Linda

Lemon & Yellow Squash Bread (adapted from thisdelicioushouse.com) Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 1 hour,  Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients:

Bread

• 1/2 pound yellow squash (1 cup grated)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup lemon juice)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup candied, diced lemon peel

Honey Lemon Glaze

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set it aside. Grate the squash using the large holes of a grater and squeeze out any moisture.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, yogurt, milk, lemon zest, and juice until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the cup of grated squash and the candied lemon peel.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan onto the rack and allow it to cool completely.

When the bread is completely cooled, make the glaze. Whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Whisk in the powdered sugar. Pour the glaze over top of the cooled bread. Allow the glaze to harden before slicing. Slice and serve. Refrigerate the remainder of the loaf in an airtight container for up to a week.