I was blessed to grow up at the end of the era when ladies still dressed up to go shopping. I remember how beautiful they looked in their dresses, hats and gloves. They’d pause to have lunch in the tea rooms (that all reputable department stores had). Besides tea, little sandwiches were always offered. One of the offerings were sandwiches made on date nut bread with cream cheese in the middle. Those little treats always seemed so exotic.
That’s probably why I took notice of this recipe when it popped up in my feed. It brought me right back to that time.
Dates are sticky, funny-looking fruits.
They are filled with vitamins, minerals and fiber. They’re really versatile in recipes and lots of people have subbed dates for the sugar in their baked goods.
This recipe makes a wonderful, dark, dense loaf of bread. It’s perfect with butter, cream cheese or even peanut butter.
DATE NUT BREAD
- 1 ½ cups chopped dates (8 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup raisins
- 4 Tablespoons room temperature butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cup flour
- ¾ cup pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.
Put the dates and raisins in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to ¾ cup of boiling water and pour over the fruit. Set aside.
HINT: If your baking soda doesn’t fizz when you add it to boiling water, it is no longer usable.
Mix the butter and the sugars together in a mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again. Add the flour (dough will be stiff). Pour in the date, raisin and water mixture until blended. Stir in nuts.
At this point, the batter will be a gorgeous caramel color and I was tempted to eat it with a spoon!
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the top with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes before removing.
Then, put on a hat and pretend you’re in a tea shop in the 1960’s! Enjoy!
