Zucchini Yeast Bread

Holy Week. Palm Sunday at First African was harder than I expected, because last year Earl was alive and now he is not, and the church remembers. Every hymn, every prayer, every moment of standing and sitting and standing again — my body remembers doing it with Earl beside me, his shoulder touching mine, his deep voice a half-beat behind the choir because he always sang a fraction too slow.

I sang in the choir on Sunday. First time since the funeral. Sister Johnson saved my spot — second row, alto section, right side. I put on my choir robe and I stood up there and when they started "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord," I opened my mouth and nothing came out for the first verse. Just nothing. My throat closed. My eyes burned. And then Sister Johnson put her hand on my back — just her hand, just the warmth of it — and on the second verse I sang. Quiet at first, then louder, and by the last verse I was singing the way I used to, from the diaphragm, from the gut, from the place where grief and praise live side by side.

Easter dinner is this Sunday and I am cooking. I am cooking the whole thing. Not because I'm ready — I don't know if ready exists anymore — but because the family needs it and I need to need it. The ham is in the brine. The pound cake is made. The deviled eggs will happen Saturday. The greens, the mac and cheese, the sweet potato pie — all of it. The table will be set. Earl's place will be set. And we will eat together, and the food will taste like love and loss in equal measure.

Kayla asked if she could help. I said yes. Denise asked if she could help. I said yes. Patricia called from Jacksonville and asked what to bring. I said, "Bring yourself and the children and an appetite." The table will be smaller this year. Earl Jr. and Carolyn are in Atlanta with the baby. It will just be us — the Savannah Hendersons and the Jacksonville Hendersons and the empty chair that nobody sits in.

I made hot cross buns. I've never made them before — they're not a Lowcountry tradition, they're an English one, but I saw the recipe and the cross on top felt right. A cross for Earl. A cross for Michael. A cross for every loss that rises again in the kitchen.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The hot cross buns were my first time working with yeast — really working with it, letting it prove, watching the dough rise under a dish towel on the counter — and something about that waiting felt right for Holy Week. This Zucchini Yeast Bread came next, because I had zucchini in the crisper and flour on the shelf and I needed to keep my hands moving. Like the buns, it rises. Like the buns, you have to trust the process even when you can’t see what’s happening inside.

Prep Time: 25 min + 1 hr 30 min rising | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 30 min | Servings: 16 slices (1 loaf)

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°F)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium), excess moisture squeezed out
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Proof the yeast. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with the sugar. Let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, start again with fresh yeast.
Add the zucchini and seasonings. Stir the shredded zucchini, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, basil, and pepper into the yeast mixture until combined.
Build the dough. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes, adding remaining flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean dish towel and set in a warm place. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Shape the loaf. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, shape it into an oval loaf and place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise again until the dough crowns about 1 inch above the rim of the pan, about 30 minutes.
Preheat and egg wash. Heat the oven to 375°F. Brush the top of the loaf gently with the beaten egg for a golden crust.
Bake. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes.
Cool before slicing. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. The inside finishes setting as it cools — slicing too early makes the crumb gummy.

Nutrition (per serving)

Zucchini Yeast Bread — Something Made from Scratch, Something That Rises