I hadn’t yet acquired the palate for it, but as a kid I loved making beer bread with my mom because it was such an easy baking project—just a few ingredients, and soon enough it was perfuming the whole house with the comforting promise of fresh bread. Here’s a variation on that classic, very simple recipe, in which summer squash marries with scallions and Parmesan to create something much more flavorful and a bit more decadent. You can leave out the cheese to make the bread vegan, or swap 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast if you’d like.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 (8½ x 4½ –inch) loaf

　　2 medium zucchini or yellow squash (about 12 ounces total), coarsely grated

　　1 teaspoon salt, divided

　　¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing

　　3 cups all-purpose flour (substitute up to half whole-wheat flour)

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

　　¼ cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese

　　2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

　　1¼ cups light and crisp beer, such as a lager, pilsner, or Kolsch

　　

Step 1

Toss the zucchini with ½ teaspoon of the salt in a colander and let stand for 15 minutes. Gather it up in your hands and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

　　

Step 2

Preheat the oven 375°F. Generously grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.

　　

Step 3

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the sugar, and black pepper. Add the zucchini, scallions, coarsely shredded cheese, and ¼ cup of the olive oil, folding to combine, then pour in the beer. Let stand for a few minutes as the dry ingredients absorb the beer, then fold gently until everything is moistened. It’ll be a dense and tacky batter. Scrape into the prepared pan.

　　

Step 4

Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with the finely shredded cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake until set in the center and a tester comes out clean, 75 to 80 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold. This bread can be served warm (though it’ll be a bit gooey inside) and should be eaten within a day or two, stored loosely covered at room temperature.

　　From Start Simple. Copyright © 2020 by Lukas Volger. Reprinted with permission by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from Harper Collins or from Amazon.