This recipe makes the best date bread I’ve ever eaten. It has been my go-to recipe for forty-seven years. This basic bread lends itself well to many variations. You can even make a holiday date pudding with this recipe. This is a recipe you should have in your apron pocket. One to make over and over again.
| BASIC DATE-NUT BREAD | Print |
: quick bread
Cuisine: caking
: Mrs Butterfingers
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: 12
a basic date bread with many variations
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped, pitted dates
- 1 tsp soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups boiling water
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup soft butter
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 to 1/12 cup chopped nuts.
Instructions
- Oven temperature 350F
- Butter and lightly flour two loaf pans
- Combine in a bowl the dates, soda, and salt, and pour the boiling water over.
- Stir to combine and set aside to cool.
- Beat the eggs until thoroughly blended.
- Add the sugar and butter to the eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift flour and stir into the egg mixture.
- Add the date mixture and the chopped nuts and mix until combined.
- Pour into the loaf pans and bake in a 350F oven for one hour, or until tester comes out clean.
- You can also bake these in cupcake tins for 30 minutes.
- VARIATIONS:
- You can add l cup of orange juice in place of as much water.
- You can add the grated rind of 2 large lemons
- You can make half the recipe omitting the nuts. Pour the batter into a buttered 8 by 12 inch shallow glass pan. Cover with a topping made by mixing ½ cup sugar, ½ cup chopped nuts and 1 cup of of chocolate chips and bake at 350F for l hour.
- Instead of dates substitute raisins. This makes a bread so delicious it can be served with a sauce as a dessert.
- Or make a Holiday Date pudding by following the basic recipe except increase the butter to 1 cup; decrease sugar to 1 cup; add 2 tsp baking powder and 1 cup chopped candied cherries. Turn batter into two loaf pans and bake at 325F for 1 to 1¼ hours or until the puddings test done with a toothpick of cake tester. Turn out and serve hot with butter sauce.
- Butter sauce;
- Melt ½ cup butter in a medium sized pan. Combine 3 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar and stir into the melted butter. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, while you pour in the 3 cups of milk. Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
