Seeking a recipe for a dark, dense, moist date nut bread

8 years ago

Does anyone have a good recipe for this? The date nut breads from my childhood (no family recipe that I can locate) were dark, dense, rich, redolent with walnuts and small pieces of dates (versus chunks of dates) ...I don't recall any flavor of molasses as a component, but it's been decades, and the bread may have had molasses!

Thanks!

Smiles,

Sooz

Featured Answer

fawnridge (Ricky)

8 years ago

Date & Nut Bread

Ingredients

4 cups of pitted dates - I use 1"-2" Majools. Two 12-oz containers are plenty.
2 cups of chopped walnuts
2 cups of boiling water
3 cups of All Purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 stick of unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups of dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla

Process

Cut the dates into chunks about the size of a dime. I quarter them.
Chop the walnuts - don't powder them, but get them chopped up good. Dump
them both in a big mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over them.
Stir and then cover the bowl with foil or a big plate. Let it sit for 10
minutes and then let it sit until cool - at least another 30 minutes.
Sift the flour and baking soda and set it aside.
Cream the butter with the brown sugar. Then mix in the eggs and
the vanilla (use the good stuff!) When the butter is completely mixed
add this to the date and nut mixture and mix it well with a wood spoon.
Add in the flour mixture and beat with the wood spoon until well combined.
Split the batter between 2 greased 9x5 meatloaf pans and bake
at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out
clean.

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Comments (14)

User
8 years ago
I love date and nut loaf. I went looking for a recipe that would be like my grandmothers a few years back. This one was it.

This recipe doesn't have molasses. Just brown sugar.

This is the original recipe as I found it. I have also made some adjustments that you can find on my blog here:

Date and Nut Slice

Have also made it using Macadamia nuts.

Date and Walnut Loaf

====================

Adapted from Kate in the Kitchen

2-1/2 cups chopped dates

1/4 cup butter

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped toasted

walnuts

.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees F). Grease and

flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. (or three small loaf pans.

Combine the dates, baking soda and butter in a large bowl. Pour

boiling water over them, stir and let stand until cool.

When the dates have cooled, stir in brown sugar, egg, sour cream

and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Mix together the flour,

baking powder, and salt; stir into the date mixture until just

blended. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a wooden pick

inserted into the center comes out clean.

If using mini loaf pans reduce baking time.
sooz thanked User
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That looks totally delicious! The McCall's cookbook recipe was more generous with dates than recipes from older cookbooks in my stash, when I started comparing it to other recipes (which is a good thing - I love dates ;-). Lots of variation in the ratio of ingredients, use of white sugar instead of brown sugar is also found (I like the added color and flavor using brown sugar). Some recipes added the shortening to the hot water/dates mixture - so no creaming. That method would result in a dense, moist, crumb, and perhaps that could be a difference between the recipe you remembered and the recipe you made. The cake-method (creaming fat/sugar) - resulting in a more cake-like crumb, compared to the muffin-method (liquid fat and no creaming) and a dense/moist crumb. I'm not sure what size a "meatloaf" pan is; I always thought of it as a two-piece pan. What size loaf pan did you use - 9"x5"? A quick bread pan is 9"x5" and a standard size loaf pan is 8-1/2"x4-1/2", and both are used for quick bread recipes (depending on the amount of batter), and I think a 9"x5" may be too large (resulting in a short squatty loaf). Did it bake faster than the suggested time by any chance (a sign the pan may have been too large)? Did the batter fill the pan at least 2/3-3/4 full? Even when a recipe calls for a 9"x5" I use a long/narrow Danish Loaf Pan (which holds the same volume as a 9"x5"). I like smaller slices that don't break apart in the middle when serving/handling like a 9"x5" loaf seem to do - but that's just me. And you can slice a smaller loaf into thinner slices more easily than a 9"x5". I loved your description for the size to chop nuts, " don't powder them". We have a neighbor who not only is stingy with the added nuts, but also fine-grinds them for her quick breads until you can't really tell there were any in it (LOL). -Grainlady
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User
8 years ago
Although the second one is probably good too, I can vouch for Ricky's recipe, I've made it ever since I first saw his posting of it.
sooz thanked User
bcskye
8 years ago
Angela Lansbury's Date Nut Bread is the recipe I always use. Don't have the recipe at hand, but you can Google it. It's dark and delicious. It's always a good seller at the church's bake sales and sells well from my booth at the Farmers Market.

Madonna
sooz thanked bcskye
sooz
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you all for your responses, recommendations, recipes and lovely photos!

Smiles,

Sooz
Heather Kezdy
6 years ago
Curious to know which you finally used as I am searching for the same thing.
Compumom11
6 years ago
Here's the link to the Angela Landsbury's bread. All of these recipes look great!
Sooz
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I ended up making a recipe posted by KA 1948-- the first recipe she posted on page 6 (I added 1/4 C of molasses to the recipe) at this Chowhound link: Date Nut Bread - lots of recipes!

Here's a photo after it cooled. It was delicious but it did take a long time to bake. There are lots of recipes to check out over at the link I provided above. Enjoy!
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
6 years ago
Sooz, did you add an additional 1/4 c molasses to the 1/4 c listed in the recipe for a total of 1/2 c molasses, please.
Sooz
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
WalnutCreek, the first recipe posted by KA 1948 (I *think* it was p. 6 on that thread) did not have molasses. The ingredients are listed as below, so the 1/4 C of molasses was what I added to it. Hope this clarifies things!

4 oz. moist, fresh, pitted dates chopped up as fine as possible.
1 cup water
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tbsp melted butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnut peices
1 & 1/3 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
6 years ago
Oh, thank you. I found 2 recipes she posted and they both contained molasses, so she must have posted 3. Thanks so much, Sooz.
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
6 years ago
Went back and tried to find the recipe above, and evidently, it has been deleted. This is the earliest recipe from KA I could find:

KA 1948 Oct 12, 200907:19 PM re: ruth arcone

I, too, was remembering enjoying VandeKamps Date Nut Bread and found a recipe that I tried;
I was thrilled with how it tasted like the one I remember. Especially when I spread it with cream cheese! Yum!

3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cup chopped dates (fresh)
1 T. butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, pour water over the dates and butter. Stir and let the mixture sit until lukewarm
Puree 1/3 of the mixture in a food processor or blender to make a paste,
then stir it back into the date mixture.
Add the brown sugar, molasses and eggs. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
Make a well in the center and pour in the date mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
Pour the batter into a greased 9x5" loaf pan.

Bake for 50 minutes; loaf is done when the top has risen and a cake tester inserted in the center will have some dates clinging to it but no batter.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan to finish cooling.

Found this on cdkitchen
Recipe ID: 40454

MSG URL: http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/1429447

I know sometimes on Chowhound recipes do get deleted.
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
6 years ago
Well, I was wrong. Kept looking and finally found the one you posted directly above, Sooz. Regardless, I am so glad you posted that link.
Sooz
6 years ago
Glad to help, and I think you've earned your Detective Badge, WalnutCreek! Please post your evaluation after trying a new-to-you date nut bread recipe, and photos are always welcome!

Seeking a recipe for a dark, dense, moist date nut bread

fawnridge (Ricky)

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Seeking a recipe for a dark, dense, moist date nut bread

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