After months of blogging, I decided it was time for a post that includes dates. I named my blog after this “common” ingredient, but never used it. Applesauce Date Nut Bread. (See About Page for further details).
Dates have fallen out of favor as a normal ingredient except in things like energy bites. I have so many “new” recipes that call for them, that I was excited to see a large resealable bag of them at Costco. Oat flour often coats dried dates to prevent them from sticking together. I use caution when buying dates since I am allergic to oats.
Quick breads are great. They are easy to make, they are easy to store. Warm them up and spread with butter, jam, or cream cheese. My kids eat them, but only if I’ve sliced the loaf for them.
My husband commented that when bread is unsliced, he feels like it has another purpose. Then went on to say something about “It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread because when the bread is sliced you know you can eat it.” Maybe I should leave “Eat Me” signs around my kitchen like in Alice in Wonderland?
But the thing is, I get caught in the banana bread/pumpkin bread/zucchini bread loop. There are so many other great quick breads out there. If you don’t want to eat a loaf of bread, make mini loaves or muffins instead.
Adjust cooking time when changing pan sizes, of course. When I deviate from the size pan specified by the recipe (usually from larger to smaller), I set the timer for the oven for 20 minutes and evaluate from that point. Use a toothpick/cake tester or judge by sight how much more time is needed for a proper bake. I used mini loaf pans and got 3 loaves. I have the other ones in my freezer. They took about 45 minutes to bake.
Appropriately the dates for the applesauce date nut bread recipe came from my grandma’s house when we moved her a year ago. They have been sitting in my freezer just waiting (along with fruit for fruitcakes, but that’ll be closer to Christmas). The applesauce I used for this came from my apple trees. It’s slightly cinnamony and not heavily sweetened. It’s very much a personal preference or what you have on hand sort of thing.
You do not need to make your own applesauce for this recipe. But there is no reason not to.
A couple of other things about applesauce date nut bread. It is very dense and very moist. Toast the nuts before using them. It makes a difference. Substitute whole wheat flour for the white flour, if you choose. It still makes great bread.
And really, isn’t this a lovely loaf?
The Recipe:
If you like this recipe, check out Tweedle Beetle Banana Bread Battle, Flash Flood Drop Doughnuts, and Sally Lunn and Hot Brandy Sauce.
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