Disclaimer: My Aunt messaged me that this is not my Grandma’s, it actually came from an in-law of my Aunt’s but since I remember it as my Grandma’s that’s what I am calling it. 😊
Last night I went over the recipe again, which I have shared below and right off the top I could tell I was going to have to tweak it. I didn’t, but I am itching to 😉 Last night’s batch was strictly the recipe I have with no ingredient “tweaks” Please see below:
Grandma Shead’s Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup (8 1/2 oz or so) crushed pineapple (well drained)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts
- Beat eggs, oil, sugar & vanilla until thick.
- Stir in zucchini, pineapple, flour, soda, baking powder, Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins & nuts.
- Blend; pour in 2 greased 5×9 loaf pans…. 350 degrees for one hour
I did things a little differently here when it came to putting the batter together. I also didn’t add nuts or raisins, personal preference, but ick. I mixed the eggs and sugar together really well, added the vanilla and pineapple, mixed the dry ingredients together then folded the dry into the wet and folded the zucchini into it all. I think it is my culinary training that just kicks in. Instead of 2 large loaf pans I cooked it in a couple of smaller mini loaf pans and then some jumbo muffin tins that I had greased well and lightly coated in flour, so the cooking time was more along the lines of about 30 minutes than an hour and because my oven bakes unevenly, I turned the pans about 15 minutes in.
First off the bat, my initial reaction to the recipe was, “Wow, that is a lot of oil and a lot of flour” I still feel that way. The bread has great flavor, not too sweet, which I was concerned about with the addition of pineapple and 2 cups of sugar, but heavy. Again, I think that is oil and large amounts of flour. Also, the zucchini flavor was a little light. I remember my Grandma’s as bread as being darker in color, moister and having much more zucchini flavor. I have a feeling some of the “tweaks” I talked about were happening when she baked her bread.
All in all, it was an okay recipe. Not what I remember the taste being and I wasn’t happy with the texture, but my hubby always says I am by far my worst critic. I need to learn to be quiet and let others make their mind up on how the bread tastes. I’m going to enjoy this for now and share with friends then try again this weekend and add some of my own twists and tweaks. Stay tuned♥
Jenthefoodie 
I have no doubt that this recipe will be much better when you “tweak” it here and there. It’s a very old recipe and I’m sure it’s pretty basic and when it comes to the oil and flour something can be done. It is an awful lot of both. As we age our taste changes, so what you remember Grama’s tasting like has changed because your taste has changed…. kids have a way of thinking everything tastes so dang good, and they do. You should remember this recipe as Grama’s, because in your young world it was hers, and if you make it better, it becomes your recipe. I’m sure Grama Rosebush would love to see what your’s tastes like as would Grama Shead. Grama Shead was a pretty good cook when it came to basics, and especially when it was something she made over and over again. She always did some “tweaking”, and a lot of it came from Grampa Sheads suggestions. LOL…. Grampa was a fantastic cook, although he didn’t cook much when I was growing up, but when he did it was very special. I can remember growing up, that Grama could burn water… She always made fantastic deserts, but often her dinners were burnt offering. Dad never minded and non of us said a word about it, but she pretty much crucified herself. She grew in her cooking as we grew. But when it came to opening the door to come home it was always “MOM!! where are you, and what is there to eat!!?” I miss my Mom terribly, I miss my Dad terribly, and when you write about one of them I hang on every word, because I can “see” what you’re writing about. I love you! Make that recipe your own!! Aunt Dawn
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