Nana’s Zucchini Bread
There are some gastronomic memories that just stick with you through the years. I don’t remember the first time I had Nana’s zucchini bread. And I don’t remember the last time. She stopped making it many years ago. But I remember how wonderful I thought it was, full of slightly tart walnuts that were set off by wonderfully sweet dates. And while I found my own recipe years ago, somewhere deep inside, I was always longing for Nana’s.
So for the 2010 season, I finally worked up the courage and asked for it. Nana dug deep into her recipe box and pulled out a faded piece of paper with her own indelible writing. Nana’s recipe. She apparently had acquired the recipe from a family friend, Connie Carkonen, in 1972, which made the knowledge she was passing on to me that much more special. I was surprised by the recipe’s simplicity. But then, some of the best treasures in the world are basic.
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups zucchini, grated
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dates, chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or coat two 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
- In an electric mixer, cream sugar, eggs, oil and zucchini.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to creamed ingredients.
- Stir in vanilla, dates and walnuts by hand.
- Bake for one hour. Set on wire rack to cool. When pans can be handled, unmold loaves, using a knife to loosen edges as necessary, and cool completely.
Notes
- For medium-sized loaves, reduce cooking time to 50 minutes. Yields four-medium loaves.
Yields 2 large loaves