One of the things I buy in bulk is dates. I love them. And they are terribly expensive in the little packs at my grocery store, but when I buy dates in bulk on line , the price per pound is much less than the tiny pack in the store. They keep well in the refrigerator as long as the dates are sealed in an airtight container. Some of the bags bulk dates are sold in already have a zip lock top.
This recipe uses 2 whole cups of dates, and makes two loaves of bread.
Chopped dates from my bulk bag int eh fridge
Date Nut Bread
Yield: 2 loaves
2 cups coarsely chopped pitted dates
2 cups boiling water
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar (I usually cut back to 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp melted butter
1 egg, beaten
2 ¾ cup flour (I use spelt or white whole wheat)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts – pecans or walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
Mix the dates, water and baking soda and set aside (to be honest, the original recipe said let it sit overnight. I am not that patient. Whatever chemical reaction I am missing, the bread still comes out great. It might be a good thing to do if your dates are quite dry).
Grease and flour two loaf pans.
Add the sugar, butter and egg to the date mix, and stir to combine.
Or in my case, I stir the sugar, butter and egg together well, then add to the mix…either way, it works.
Add the flour and mix in a little at a time to incorporate. Stir in the nuts and vanilla.
Divide between the 2 loaf pans and bake 1 hour.
The loaves will shrink slightly from the sides of the pan.
two loaves of date nut bread into the oven to bake
Cool on a rack 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely.
Wrap tightly and store overnight before cutting.
It also freezes well. Delicious warmed up and spread with butter or cream cheese!
fresh loaves of date nut bread