1 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped pitted dates
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (about 2 ounces)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Pour boiling water over dates in a medium bowl and allow to sit.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, oil, sugar, orange zest and vanilla until well combined; whisk in date mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in walnuts and chocolate until just combined.
Place batter into prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden brown, well risen, and a toothpick inserted into bread comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Cool for about 20 minutes before removing bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 1 loaf
I totally agree - dates are yummy and often get overlooked, just like prunes. They are only dried plums!!
ReplyDeleteThe bread looks delicious and I love all the add-ins. Yummy
This bread is pretty perfect to me! It as lots of flavors and lots of texture. i love to cook with dates too!
ReplyDeletepeople that dont like dates have never had them, I swear....how could you not like them?! i agree w. you: they're like candy and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAs is your recipe today!
Dates are definitely underrated - the caramel-like, soft, plump Medjool dates are the best :)
ReplyDeleteLove the bread!
I love dates too! I haven't baked much with them because I keep eating them before I get a chance :).
ReplyDeleteI love dates, too! Have you tried them dipped in peanut butter and frozen? Delish!
ReplyDeleteAw when i saw this post which was like three mins ago it said zero comments. so i got super excited cuz i wanted to be the first to comment! but my darn phone has super slow data =.= anyway, lol i just wanted to say how delicious this bread looks! i wanna reach into the screen and take the whole loaf! i be a hungry student enduring psychology class right now :(
ReplyDeletei truly think I tasted dates for the first time a few weeks ago and I fell. In. Love. Who knew something so good for you could be SO SWEET. I am totally making this bread.
ReplyDeleteAldi is awesome. I buy most everything between there and Trader Joe's (did you know they're owned by the same parent company?) - it's so easy to stock up when everything's so cheap!
ReplyDeletei've always wanted to go live with the amish people. i think it's because i saw 'witness' with harrison ford too many times as a child. :)
ReplyDeleteand you make me want to bake with dates! yum.
I love date-nut bread with cream cheese. Dates are amazing, and I agree, underrated! This looks so wonderful.
ReplyDeletei love all of these ingredients passionately so i must try it!! i'm a big date fan as i grew up in the coachella valley in southern california. date shakes anyone? :)
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't already seen it, rent The Devil's Playground. It's a documentary on the Amish. Very cool.
ReplyDeletei grew up eating these types of combinations. THANK YOU for reminding me i have to make them more often!
ReplyDeletetotally agree about dates and their bad reputation. then again... more for us? :)
LOL! You are so cute! I don't think I've ever tasted dates. I will have to give them a try.
ReplyDeleteGosh, Em,
ReplyDeleteI also love dates and am fascinated with the Amish! They would probably love this recipe. Why don't you try to make friends with them in that store and maybe they'd take you home to bake?
I love dates too...it's mother natures candy :)
ReplyDeleteI also had to laugh when you talked about the Amish. I was just telling my friend that I would love to become Amish for a year. Just to see if I could do it. Sadly I do not think they would appreciate me just popping in and asking to be Amish. I don't think it works like that...I could be wrong...
Have you tried fresh dates? They're DELICIOUS and amazing in scones. Piping hot date scones with a big schmear of butter or maybe some strawberry jam and cream is a kiwi classic and fav
ReplyDelete:-).
Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteKatie, I love dried plums!
Lauren, I'll have to try that!
Connie, aw you were almost first. I wish I could send you some, you good student, you.
Vicki, I had heard that but wasn't sure if it was true or not. I wish we had a Trader Joes here!
Haha, Marla. I need to watch that movie.
Helencounters, what's a date shake?
Pamela, I tried looking up that documentary and now I have a virus on my computer. :(
Maranda, why thank you!
Sue, I think that's a grand idea. I would do it.
Crafty Tuesday, I would looove to try a fresh date.
I ADORE dates... as in really, really, reeeeaaallllly love them! I currently have both Medjool and Barhi dates in my pantry, and they honestly taste just like candy. I think the key is to purchase whole dates rather than the pre chopped, dried out varieties.
ReplyDeleteThis bread sounds amazing - dates and walnut are a great combination, and adding chocolate to anything is a good idea. The orange zest sounds like a perfect refreshing flavor element. Definitely making this!
Totally agree - dates are awesome! I'm baking with dates this weekend, but some members of my family claim not to like dates...but when I call them toffee (which is what they taste like to me) they love them! Strange the misconceptions we have.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the ugly thing that makes me not like dates. I just don't like too sticky-sweet fruits. It's why I don't like raisins or prunes either. (Yet I like grapes and plums - go figure) I think I'd give them a shot if they were surrounded with chocolate and orange and a cake baked by you!
ReplyDeleteI went to college in the heart of PA Dutch country so everything was all about the Amish. Their lifestyle tends to be glamourized at times, but there is a big dark underbelly to it all.
Mmm. I do love me some dates. I think my all-time favorite dessert is sticky toffee pudding, which is usually a date cake topped with toffee sauce. I wish I had some right now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever tried dates, but I'll be sure to add that to my list of things to try. I'm also in love with Aldi. I shop there all the time. I always go crazy when I shop there.
ReplyDeleteP.S. - Love your blog! Just started finally commenting. :)
Dates are so versatile - I have really come to develop an appreciation for them.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I have a fascination with the Amish too!! Although it goes without saying that there aren't any in Australia haha - I just finished reading a book by Jodie Picoult called 'Plain Truth' about an Amish community.....I highly recommend it!! Infact, I love passing my books on to other people, if you're interested in reading it, feel free to contact me :)
ReplyDeletedate shakes are divine. just dates and ice cream + milk i reckon. soooo tasty.
ReplyDeleteI love dates too! Especially at christmas time, I fill them with a little almond paste and roll them in sugar. Your bread looks delicious with orange!
ReplyDeleteLauren, you're right. These were chopped, but I should have bought whole dates.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I understand! They'e awfully sweet.
Sarah, oh gosh, I LOVE sticky toffee pudding!
Heather, I feel the same way. I go in to buy eggs, and I come out with a cart load! Love it. Thanks for reading my blog! I really appreciate it!
Helen, well now I want to try it! I wonder if you could make it healthy-ish? I'm going to look for a recipe.
ReplyDeleteyeah, perhaps w/ the nonfat trader joe's froyo?
ReplyDeleteLove dates.
ReplyDeleteLove dark chocolate.
Loved Aldi. I went there just for the chocolate!
No Aldi here. :(
The bread looks de-lish!
Ok, I just realized/decided that I already have everything needed for this and I will be making it soon!
ReplyDeleteMy loaf is in the oven as I type...I added a few drops of oj as I zested the orange, and used an overly ripe banana instead of the oil. I realized that the loaf pan required for this may be a bigger one than the one I used. I love dates especially really fresh ones.
ReplyDeleteSo since I have whole dates, I should chop them? Before or after soaking in the water?
ReplyDeleteKatrina, I would chop then soak.
ReplyDeleteLisa Ann, I hope you liked it! I don't think the pan size would have made much of a difference. Hopefully not.
ReplyDeleteI did chop then soak, made more sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just ate another slice of the bread. It's good. Heavenly with a slathering of Nutella.
I used whole wheat pastry flour, just for my own added benefit. Love the hint of orange flavor. Good one, Emily! Thanks.
I love dense sweet breads. This was delicious. My 17 year old daughter loved it too. It was gone in a day or two. I think I will use the oil next time and not the banana to see how it tastes.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for the traditional recipe for a friend. How does the traditional recipe vary from the above recipe? (My ex's mother used to make the traditional, but there's no way I'm going to ask her for the recipe!)
ReplyDelete