Thomas Date Nut Bread Recipe Original

DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine baking soda with the boiling water. Soak the dates in the water and baking soda solution for 30 minutes.
• Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs, vanilla, dates, nuts, flour, and salt.
• Divide batter equally between two 9 x 5 (or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2) inch greased loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) (or until loaf tests done). Can be frozen when cool.

GRANDMA'S DATE-NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Put raisins in a bowl. Pour boiling water over raisins; soak until raisins have flavored the water, about 20 minutes. Drain raisins, reserving the water. Discard raisins.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan with butter.
• Bring reserved water to a boil in a small saucepan. Measure 3/4 cup boiling water into a bowl. Stir baking soda into water.
• Put dates and prunes in a large bowl. Pour baking soda-water over dates and prunes; add unsalted butter and stir until melted. Stir sugar and vanilla extract into the fruit mixture; let cool to room temperature.
• Stir egg into the fruit mixture to evenly coat. Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl; add to fruit mixture and stir. Fold walnuts into the mixture and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

NUT BREAD (ORIGINAL BETTY CROCKER)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Grease bottom only of loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, or 2 loaf pans, 8½x4½x2 ½ inches.
• Mix all ingredients; beat 30 seconds.
• Pour into pan(s).
• Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 9-inch loaf 55 to 65 minutes, 8-inch loaves 55-60 minutes; cool slightly.
• Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan.
• Cool completely before slicing.
• To store, wrap and refrigerate no longer than 1 week.
• *If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.
• Apricot Nut Bread: Mix 1 cup finely cut-up dried apricots.
• Banana Nut Bread: Decrease milk to 1/3 cup and omit orange peel. Mix in 1 ¼ cup mashed bananas (1 to 3 medium). Bake 9-inch loaf 65 to 70 minutes.
• Cranberry-Cheese Nut Bread: Decrease nuts to 1/2 cup. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces) and 1 cup cranberries, cut into halves. Bake 9-inch loaf 65 to 70 minutes.
• Date Nut Bread: Omit milk. Mix 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 cups cut-up dates; cool. Stir into the batter.
• Whole Wheat Raisin Bread: Substitute 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour and honey for the brown sugar. Mix in 1 cup raisins.

DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 inch loaf pan.
• Put the dates, walnuts, baking soda, salt and shortening in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over and stir. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
• Using a fork, beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl. Add the flours and stir; the batter will be too stiff to mix well. Add the date mixture and mix briskly until the batter is well blended. Spoon into the loaf pan and bake 40 to 50 minutes. Check the loaf often; it is done when a few moist crumbs cling to a straw inserted in the middle of the loaf. The bread will continue to bake after it is removed from the oven. Do not overbake, or the loaf will be dry.
• When the loaf is done, slide a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the loaf onto a rack to cool completely. This bread freezes well.

DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
• In a bowl, pour hot water over dates and butter.
• Stir and let the mix stand until lukewarm.
• In a food processor, puree 1/3 of the date mixture to make a paste.
• Stir paste back into date bowl mixture.
• Add brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, and eggs.
• Mix until combined.
• In another bowl, sift the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
• Add whole wheat flour and mix well.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the date mixture.
• Stir until well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes until loaf top has risen.
• Remove bread from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out.

WHOLE-WHEAT DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil. In a medium bowl, pour hot water over dates and let stand until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil, egg, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, salt, pecans, and brown sugar. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 20 minutes, then turn out bread and let cool completely. Wrap in parchment if giving as a gift, or slice and spread with Neufchatel and serve. (Loaf can be tightly wrapped and stored at room temperature up to 3 days.)