August is peak time for summer produce. Gardens and markets are overflowing with herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Well, not all gardens and I’ll get to that later. Meanwhile, going to a market or farmstand this time of year is sheer delight. What to do with the haul is a fun challenge. Is it time to make favorites or try new things? I’d say both. One of the new things I baked this year is Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread.
Summer squash is rather general in description. I used yellow squash for this bread. You could easily substitute other ones including pattypan and zucchini. The only things getting in the way of me using either of those is I couldn’t find any pattypan and I’m partial to yellow over zucchini. Plus I thought green pieces of jalapeños would contrast and stand out in a yellow bread. They sure did.
Sweet/hot seems to be my latest trend. It started with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and hasn’t stopped. I’ve been experimenting with the combo for months. When I ran across the original recipe for this bread it was without any peppers. I thought it was quite sweet and needed a kick of something in there for a balance. It’s still rather sweet yet the jalapeños shine through and linger after the last bite.
This year I’ve had a major garden failure. Every plant has done exceedingly well except jalapeños. Several plants I’ve had to re-pot because they have become so large. One of my succulents bloomed for the first time in three years. Yet my pepper plant is a complete loss. Here is a visual just so you know I’m not exaggerating:
Thank goodness for friends. My husband has brought home bags of assorted peppers from a co-worker. It was perfect timing for baking this bread. It’s once again time for Bread Bakers and of course I had to participate. Our host is Pavani of Cook’s Hideout and I’m so glad she chose the Summer Bounty theme. Scroll down to see the list of breads baked with the season’s produce.
What bread do you relate to summer? Is it a light, airy loaf or something hearty? For me it is a denser bread packed with seasonal flavor. Last year I highlighted fresh herbs in Herbed Skillet Cornbread. Next time I’m considering featuring herbs again in rolls. They would be swirly like cinnamon rolls except with a savory filling. I’m still working on it though. Who knows, it could be another sweet/hot creation. Oh the possibilities…

Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups shredded summer squash aka yellow squash
- 2 or 3 jalapeño peppers about 1/4 cup, seeded and chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour an 8 1/2- X 4 1/2- X 3-inch loaf pan.
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Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cumin in a large bowl.
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Whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Stir in shredded squash and jalapeño peppers.
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Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine until just moistened.
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Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool bread in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Recipe Notes
Bring on the sweet heat with this Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread. It's filled with garden-fresh flavors of vegetables and peppers.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living 1983 Annual Recipes cookbook (no longer in print).
Do you have an abundance of produce? Take a look at these bread recipes to find what to make with your summer bounty:
- Almond and Carrot Biscuits from Basic N Delicious
- Cheddar Mielie Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes from Food Lust People Love
- Cherry Bread Pudding from Bakers and Best
- Eggless Rosemary Garlic Dinner Rolls from Spill the Spices
- Garden Herb Focaccia from My Catholic Kitchen
- Herb and Cheese Biscuits from Gayathri’s Cook Spot
- Herb and Cheese Grissini from A Shaggy Dough Story
- Herbed Butterflaps from Sneha’s Recipe
- Herbs, Spinach and Cheese Bourekas from Cooking Club
- Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread from Magnolia Days
- Mango Kolache from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Peach & Blueberry Meringue Pull Apart Bread from Passion Kneaded
- Peach Pull-Apart Bread from Recipes, Food and Cooking
- Peaches and Cream Bread from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Pizza Cipolla from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Rosemary and Garlic Fougasse from Spice Roots
- Rosemary Breadsticks from A Baker’s House
- Spinach Multi Grain Semolina Bread from The Schizo Chef
- Sundried Tomato Focaccia with Sauteed Summer Veggies & Garden Salad from Sizzling Tastebuds
- Tomato Onion Parmesan Focaccia from Noshing With The Nolands
- Walnut & Oat Crumble Courgette Bread from Baking in Pyjamas
- Whole Wheat Spinach, Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Bread from Hostess At Heart
- Wholewheat Zucchini Bread from Cook’s Hideout
- Yeasted Zucchini Bread from What Smells So Good?
- Zucchini Oatmeal Bread from Cali’s Cuisine
- Zucchini, Jalapeño, Cheese Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
What is Bread Bakers? It’s a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Bread Bakers Pinterest Board. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page.
How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, send an email with your blog name and url to Stacy at [email protected].
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says
That new sweet/hot trend you mention Renee, I love it! Jalapeños in bread are amazing, whether they come from your garden or not. I’m such a klutz in the garden that if only the peppers failed, it would be a huge success, jaja! Have a great week!
cali @ cali's cuisine says
The kick of hot in a quick bread looks like a great departure from the norm. Love the use of jalapeno in this summer squash bread!
Stacy says
That is the saddest looking jalapeño plant I’ve seen in a long time, Renee! But the jalapeño is perfect inside. I love the flecks of green!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
My jalapeno plants have done horribly too! What is with those under achievers this year? This bread is a home run however. I love the sweet and spicy combo and have gotten a little crazy with it too.
Adam says
Looks great! It has been far too long since I made a jalapeno bread.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says
Great minds…..I love combining summer squash and jalapenos. A perfect combo for your bread
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba) says
I just tried to make my own spin on it, but since I apparently suck at realizing pan overflow potential (and mucked with your recipe, adding corn – shame on me!) I have a very sad, ugly, underbaked loaf. That said, it TASTES amazing! And I bet crumbled bits will make awesome stuffing crumbs… hmm, potential!!
Tara says
I have jalapenos growing but they aren’t even flowering yet, maybe we started them too late. We will bring them in and hopefully they will give us some peppers later in the fall. Your bread is picture perfect for summer, I just love it!!
Kathia Rodriguez says
Absolutely delicious, what a wonderful recipe.
Mary Frances says
This bread looks so unique and tasty! I’m sure the fresh ingredients make it even more delicious!
Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says
I’m so sorry about your jalapeno plant! =) How nice that you were gifted with someone else’s bounty! Your bread is gorgeous and sounds delicious!
Holly says
I would love to have grilled cheese made with your bread– wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Renee says
It may be a little sweet for a grilled cheese. It is always worth a try to be sure.
Cindys Recipes and Writings says
I love the color of this bread! It screams, summertime!
Mireille says
this colorful bread looks so good – love the kick of the jalapeno this must have been given
Sona says
Beautiful clicks.. The bread looks amazing..
[email protected] Baking in Pyjamas says
This looks delicious, I’d love to toast a slice or two and spread it with some sour cream or guachamole.
Kelster says
I love the sweet and spicy combination. I can’t wait to see your savoury rolls.
vimala lakshmi says
Awesome bread with jalapenos, squash yummmmmmm……………..
Sneha datar says
I love the colour and texture of this bread, must have tasted superb with squash and jalapenos.
Laura Dembowski says
This is such a creative recipe! I love the sweet and spicy nature of it.
Pavani says
That is such a flavorful and colorful looking bread. Love the sweet & spicy going on in there 🙂 My peppers look just like yours 🙁 But my neighbor (our raised gardens are almost touching one another) is having a bumper crop of peppers (baahhhh).
Daniela says
What could I do to make it savory? I can’t use sugar
Katie Moseman says
Unfortunately, the structure of the recipe requires so much sugar that omitting it or using a sugar substitute probably would not work. Maybe try this recipe instead? It only has 1 tablespoon of sugar rather than 3/4 cup: https://magnoliadays.com/cheddar-jalapeno-sourdough-bread/