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Date-Nut Bread
This classic date-nut bread delivers a dense, moist crumb packed with sweet dates and crunchy walnuts. Boiling water softens the chopped dates and melts the butter, creating a rich base for the batter. It is an old-fashioned favorite that works beautifully for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a simple dessert. Serve thick slices plain or spread them generously with cream cheese for a comforting treat.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chopped pitted dates
- 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into pieces
- 1 cups boiling water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup walnuts (4 ounces), coarsely chopped
Instructions
- 1Place the chopped dates and butter pieces into a medium bowl, then pour the boiling water over them. Let the mixture sit until it cools completely.
- 2Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 9 by 5-inch metal loaf pan.
- 3Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the lightly beaten egg into the cooled date and butter mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until the flour is moistened, then fold in the chopped walnuts.
- 4Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 5Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool completely on the rack before slicing.