How To Oven Can Quick Breads: Zucchini Bread Recipe Included • The Farmer's Lamp (2024)

August 25, 2016 by Rhonda 18 Comments

I suppose the title of this post is deceptive in some ways: “How To Oven Can Quick Breads” because it’s really baking bread in a jar for storage. There’s no true canning process that takes place. Learn how to preserve quick bread for years of flavorful, moist bread. Our favorite is zucchini bread and banana bread.

Jump to Recipe

We call it oven canned quick bread because when the bread is taken from the oven we immediately place a lid on it to seal the jar. I had never heard of oven canning quick bread until I was visiting my old-timer friend Helen, who has allowed me to say she’s 80.

She offered me some of her oven canned zucchini bread. It was moist and delicious after being in the jar for over a year. I asked her how to can zucchini bread and other quick breads and she taught me.

She took me under her wing during the three years we lived in the panhandle of Idaho. She taught me how to garden, can, and many other things about living at high altitudes and temperatures. This is the last thing she taught me before we moved back to the deep south.

If you are subscribed to our newsletter, then you’ve already gotten the TFL Zucchini bread recipe. If you’re not yet a subscriber, don’t worry, I’ll share it here in this post.

How to Oven Can Quick Breads

*All of our ingredients are organic and non-GMO. You use the ingredients you feel comfortable with or have on hand.

Notes

This recipe will make 4-quart jars or 8-pint jars.

You can use any quick bread recipe you like when you oven can quick breads. I used zucchini and bananas because I had so much zucchini and because the bananas were overripe. I don’t like wasting anything that can be used in some other way, even just to feed it to the animals.

Use wide-mouth jars to make it easier to grease the jars and to get the bread out when you’re ready to eat it.

IMPORTANT: It is imperative your jars and lids be sterilized before pouring your batter into them. After thoroughly washing my jars in hot soapy water and rinsing them in hot water, I pour boiling water over them and let them sit while I mix the bread. I place my lids in boiling water also and let them sit as well. *More safety information at the end of this post

Instructions for Oven Canning Quick Breads

1. Sterilize your jars and lids.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or the temp your recipe calls for.
3. Oil your jars – I use coconut oil
4. Mix your batter according to your recipe.
5. Fill your sterilized jar 1/2 – 2/3 full – overfilling will result in bread rising out of the jar. Helen warned me and I tried not to overfill the jar, but I’m still learning about making altitude adjustments in my baking. If yours does rise out of the jar, as you can see mine did in the photo I shared above, simply cut off the excess before wiping the lip of the jar for sealing.
6. Place a baking sheet in the oven to allow for the stabilization of the jars. Place the jars on the baking sheet.
7. Bake until done according to your recipe or the brownness you like.
8. Immediately remove the jars from the oven and wipe the lid with a damp cloth to ensure it’s clean. BE CAREFUL! The jars are hot so exercise common sense and safety.
9. Place a lid on the jar and screw the cap on.
10. Let set on the counter for 24 hours. If the jar doesn’t seal, store the cool jar of bread in the frig until you’re ready to eat it.
11. Store your sealed jars in a cool, dry place like your basem*nt or pantry shelves.

That’s it! That’s all there is to oven can quick breads for years of preservation.

Safety and Other Concerns

There is some variance in how long the bread is good for. Some say it’s good for 6 months, some say it’s good for a year. Some even say it’s good for several years. Personally, because it’s bread I’m going with one year for our family, but do the research and decide for yourself.

There is some question about the safety of canning bread in jars. It’s recommended you keep them in the frig, but for us, this defeats the purpose of “canning” the bread. You will hear stories from all sides.

• People, like Helen, have done this their whole lives and have never had a problem.
• People who say the government says it’s bad because they want to control the food supply. While it’s true there is an ongoing war on our food supply, you have to decide what you think on this issue.
• People who say it’s absolutely unsafe don’t do it.
• And people who say it’s safe if you keep them refrigerated or frozen.

So there you have it. I believe the safety relies on sterilizing the jars and lids and being sure the bread is done. To be sure you’re informed, I’ve located a pdf file for your review which has some warnings and findings. As always, I want you to make the most informed decision you can.

Do you oven can quick breads? Please share your tips and experience with us in the comments.