Zucchini Bread that is too wet on the bottom

Carole says: I have a wonderful recipe my aunt gave me for zucchini bread, but I have a problem I hope you can help me with…I bake the bread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; I cool it in the pans for 10-15 minutes and then put them on a rack to completely cool. I have let them sit upright, on their sides and even upside down BUT they are always “wet” on the bottom.  It really ruins a really good recipe. Can you offer any suggestions?  I would REALLY appreciate it!

Baking S.O.S. says: This IS an interesting problem.  I have a few suggestions you can try, but I don’t know if any of them will work for sure because I have not experienced this problem myself.

First, it sounds like the batter might be a little too wet.  If so, one of these suggestions might help:

1) If you are using zucchini that are large and have large seeds, I would suggest cutting the zucchini in half, scraping the seeds out, and just using the flesh of the zucchini to make the bread.  The seeds tend to have extra moisture around them, so removing the seeds might help eliminate any excess “wetness” in the batter.

2) You might also try draining the shredded zucchini in a mesh strainer for a little bit before you add it to the batter.  Or try pressing any excess moisture out of the shredded zucchini with some paper towels.

Secondly, it sounds like the bottom of the bread is the only part that is not baking thoroughly.  This is an interesting problem, but I think you could use the same approach as making a pie or bread where you want a firm crust on the bottom.

To create a firmer bottom crust (when baking a pie or bread), it is helpful to pre-heat a baking stone (such as Pampered Chef or other pizza stone) while you are preheating the oven.  Then place the baking dish directly onto the stone while it is baking.  This helps to firm up the bottom of your baked good.  The one thing I would caution you about is to NOT use a glass bread pan if you are going to attempt this.  I have not tried baking with glass directly on top of a baking stone, so I cannot predict whether the stone might get so hot as to crack the glass.  I have, however, had success when baking with metal pans directly on the stoneware.  So use a metal loaf pan for the zucchini bread if you are going to attempt this.  I cannot promise it will work, but I think it is worth a try.  It works with other baked goods, so why not zucchini bread, too?!

Good luck!