Date and Walnut Bread Tested Recipe

Date Walnut Bread Recipe

Date Walnut Bread is a very nice tea bread bursting with the flavor of sweet dates and crunchy walnuts. Jean Anderson states in her book 'The American Century Cookbook' that the first recipes for this bread began to appear in the 1920s, and it was so popular in the 1930s that it was used to make tea sandwiches. In fact, these tea sandwiches are so lovely you may want to try them; take two thinly sliced pieces of the bread, sandwich them together with a layer of cream cheese or butter, and then cut them into fingers, squares or triangles.

The name 'date' comes from the Greek "daktulos" which means "finger" and refers to its shape. Dates are the sweet fruit of the palm tree and they grow in large bunches, with each date measuring between 1 - 3 inches (2.5 - 7.5 cm) long. A large part of the date crop is dried which increases its already high sugar concentration and keeps the dates from spoiling. When dates are dried they become sticky, soft and plump, and the skin of the date seems to disappear as it cannot be distinguished from the flesh. For this recipe we are using dried pitted dates. If the dates you buy still have their pits, you will need to remove them. Just cut a slit down the length of the date with a sharp knife and then slide out the small smooth pit. Dried dates can be found in the produce section of your grocery store. I usually buy the ones that are packed in 10 ounce (283 gram) plastic tubs. Always check the dates for any signs of mold.

The coarsely chopped dates are placed in a large bowl along with the baking soda and a pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon). Then pour one cup (240 ml) of very hot water over the dates, stir, and leave to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). This is done to soften the tough outer skin of the dates.


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Date Walnut Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.

Toast the walnuts for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl mix the chopped dates with the baking soda and a pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon). Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of very hot water over the dates, stir, and leave to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

In your food processor place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Process to combine and then add the butter. Process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and then stir in the chopped walnuts.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the vanilla extract.

Finally, fold the flour mixture and beaten egg mixture into the cooled dates (with their water). Stir until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Well wrapped, this bread will keep for several days at room temperature.

Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

References:

Anderson, Jean. The American Century Cookbook. Clarkson/Potter Publishers. New York: 1997.

Cadogan, Mary. 101 Cakes and Cookies. Hylas Publishing. New York. 2003.

Date and Walnut Bread:

1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

8 ounces (225 grams) dried pitted dates, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (240 ml) boiling water

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract