Grandma Dickerson’s Zucchini Bread

Anyone have a few zucchinis on hand? Look around, and they are piled high at the farmer’s markets or being gifted with love from backyard gardens. Last night I received a text from my sweet friend Dawn that said: “front porch alert!” I dropped everything and ran to swing open the door to find a nice brown paper sack sitting on the step filled with the latest bounty from Grant Family Farms. Dawn has a crop-share that just keeps giving, and she is incredibly generous with her extras. Included were two lovely little zucchini with such tender skin, they appeared to be picked only hours before. 

Then it began to rain and I caught the scent of autumn sneaking in on the breeze. Just the thing to put me in the mood to bake (all it takes is anything that hints at cool weather)! When I got up this morning to that same fresh breeze, I walked over to my oven and set it to bake.

This is my grandma’s recipe. It’s the only one for me, and I’m sure lots of people say that about their grandmas, but I honestly haven’t found a better version. It’s delicious, with a tender crumb that still holds up to a nice smear of something (in my case this morning, some sweet whole milk ricotta that was on hand). I use freshly grated nutmeg and freshly ground Ceylon cinnamon which gives the bread a marvelous scent.

What I love is that it is not too sweet and it’s the perfect snack or easy breakfast. The best with tea and some rumbling clouds.

Grandma Dickerson’s Zucchini Bread

recipe by Donna Lucille Dickerson

Ingredients:

•  3 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I use a microplane grater for whole nutmeg)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 and 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini or two smallish)
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 heaping cup chopped walnuts plus some for sprinkling (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two regular loaf pans.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mixing well and scraping the sides down.
3. Add the zucchini! Mix to combine well.
4. Gradually add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time, scraping the sides down, and mix well for a couple of minutes.
5. Stir in raisins and nuts if you so desire.
6. Divide the batter into the loaf pans, sprinkle the top with more nuts, and bake for about one hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes and then turn the loaves out on a rack to cool. Serve with a bit of cream cheese, butter, ricotta or just plain and enjoy!