Mom has always talked about how much she loved her mom aka Granny’s zucchini bread. Granny has been gone for seven years now. I miss her and think about her every single day; I believe she watches over me – my guardian angel.
I loved her when she was here on earth, but I have done a lot of growing up in the past seven years. I wish all the time she was still here to bake and cook with me, to have adult conversations with, to watch game shows together, and take walks around the neighborhood.
I should have done all those things while she was alive, but I didn’t always want to. I try not to blame myself for being a typical teenager. Hopefully she knew then how much I loved her, and hopefully she still knows now.
To be honest, based on what Mom has told me about Granny, I don’t know that we have a lot of food favorites in common. I make her Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Onions all the time (if you haven’t tried it yet, do it! Now!), but other than that her recipes aren’t really my thing. I like to think if we would have had the opportunity to cook together, we both would have been open to trying new things.
One recipe I have wanted to try is her zucchini bread. We thought the famous recipe had been lost, never to be found. I was so bummed! Then my aunt kindly went through all of her recipes and found what we believe to be Granny’s Zucchini Bread. We can’t be sure, but we know the recipe was from the Cincinnati Enquirer like this one.
I think it was her recipe since this bread is simply stellar. Loaded with zucchini, it still manages to be pretty light and fluffy, definitely moist and tender inside with a caramelized exterior that provides the best complex flavor. Walnuts lend crunch, while cinnamon and vanilla are major flavor players.
I wish I could share a piece of this with Granny, but instead I’ll just have an extra slice in her honor 🙂
Granny’s Zucchini Bread #SundaySupper
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves, 16 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups coarsely grated zucchini
- 1 cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 2 loaf pans, and line the bottom only with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, stir together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla until fully combined. Stir in the dry ingredients until most of the flour has been incorporated. Add the zucchini and stir until all ingredients are fully combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans for about 30 minutes before gently removing and cooling completely. Bread may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag. Thaw at room temperature for a couple hours or in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Cincinnati Enquirer
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Don’t miss the other Sunday Supper recipes!
Make sure you check out all of the squash goodness in today’s Sunday Supper menu!
Starters – Appetizers & Cocktails:
- Bourbon Pumpkin Pie in a Glass from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Pancakes from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Zucchini Pizza Bites from Mommas Meals
- Zucchini Tomato Focaccia Bread with Pretzel Salt from Family Foodie
Pickles & Relish:
- Zucchini Pickles from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Zucchini Relish from Magnolia Days
Soups & Salads:
- Creamy Dairyfree Zucchini Soup from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Easy Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli e Zucchini from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
- Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Persimmon from Culinary Adventures with Camillia
- Tofu Vegetable Soup from What Smells So Good?
- Zucchini Cheese Soup from Noshing with the Nolands
- Zucchini Noodles with Basil Vinaigrette from Ruffles and Truffles
Main Dishes
- Acorn Squash Ramen from Ninja Baking
- Beef, Butternut & Potato Pie from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Beef Ragu over Spaghetti Squash from The Texan New Yorker
- Black Bean, Butternut Squash & Millet Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce from Simply Healthy Family
- Chorizo-Stuffed Zucchini from La Cocina de Leslie
- Gluten Free Zucchini Noodles & Meatballs from Gluten Free Crumbley
- Italian Sausage Zucchini Lasagna from Curious Cuisiniere
- Risotto with Butternut Squash, Chicken and Sage from Cooking Chat
- Sausage and Farro Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Cups from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Sesame Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole from Shockingly Delicious
- Spinach and Mushroom Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Stuffed Red Kuri Squash from Food Lust People Love
- Zucchini-Corn Pancakes from The Weekend Gourmet
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
I love anything with zucchini! looks delish! xoxo
I can see why this is a family favorite…it looks like the perfect zucchini bread to me! Moist and irresistible!!! So glad you were finally able to recreate it 🙂
Love the green flecks of zuccini in the bread! Beautiful!
Zucchini bread is definitely one of my favorites in the morning! And how cool that you might have found the famous recipe from your grandmother!
Ohhhhh, so pretty! I love zucchini bread fresh out of the oven with butter on it!
Looks like your granny has indeed blessed this bread with a touch of Heaven! Your photos sing fluffy, chock-full-of zucchini deliciousness!
Yeah, Granny is definitely looking out for me 🙂
I haven’t had a zucchini break like that forever. It looks so good. Love the big pieces of walnut!!
I haven’t made a zucchini bread with walnuts in it for a long, long time! Love the classics! : ) Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! I love that you can see the little green specks of zucchini.
What a lovely tribute to your grandmother. Her Zucchini Bread looks moist and delicious!
Nothing like a good zucchini bread, especially if it’s Granny’s! Or even if it isn’t. Perfect, either way!
Your Grandmother’s recipe is perfect, just look at those mouth watering slices! Looks so moist and tasty. Love walnuts in zucchini breads 🙂
This made me go buy zucchini to make bread!
Woo hoo! Then I am doing my job. I hope you like it!
Made it last night. I did half the recipe to make three mini loaves, and ate an entire one myself 🙂 So good!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Manda!
Luckily you found Grandma’ s recipe and you made us
this wonderful Zucchini Bread. Granny’s recipes are priceless.
kisses
I’m very particular about my zucchini bread…I have to see the green, it has to be moist, and it has to be nutty — this one looks like it checks all the boxes!
I’m sure your granny is looking down and smiling big. What a wonderful tribute to her. And the bread, just those chunks of walnuts gets me. Yum!
Thanks, Renee! I hope she is smiling down on me 🙂
So glad you made this recipe and better that you really liked it. I did write a few of Granny’s recipes down as she made things because most of the times, she didn’t use a recipe (aka her Thanksgiving Stuffing and Gravy) and Dad’s Hamburger Hash too. This was a recipe but you can be sure she probably tweaked it too….Glad it was one that you really like.
Yeah I bet she did tweak it. So did I! Thanks for finding the recipe xoxo
with all the gardener friends I have not one have offered up zucchini!
I must make a zucchini bread before summer is gone!
I completely forgot how good this bread is
I know – I’m stocking up on all my favorite summer baked goods. It’s vanishing quick. You better go hit up some of your friends for some zucchini!
Laura, this is a beautiful, perfect, moist ‘n fluffy loaf of zucchini bread! I’m so glad you found your grandmother’s recipe (or at least, something very similar). I’m printing this out to add to my collection of zucchini recipes. It’s going to the top of my must-bake pile!
Let me know how you like it, if you try it, Nancy! And thanks for your nice comment on Kayle’s blog the other day 🙂
Let me know how you like it, if you try it, Nancy! And thanks for your nice comment on Kayle’s blog the other day 🙂
Love sharing my grandmother’s recipes. I am sure that this brings back many tender memories.
That generation had some of the best recipes and it is so important to keep them going. Thanks, Wendy!
There is nothing better than zucchini bread! <3 P~
This zucchini bread looks amazing! I haven’t made zucchini bread in forever…totally need to make this! YUM!!
I love family recipes like this. This bread looks perfect and I’m sure Granny would think so too!
Thanks, Amy!
We LOVE zucchini bread. Yours looks delicious!
I love family recipes and this zucchini bread looks delicious!