Grandma's Date Nut Bread

slice of date nut bread next to a whole loaf.

Published by Kate

This old fashioned date nut bread recipe comes from Grandma's recipe book. It makes two loaves—one to keep and one to give!

4.80 from 29 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 245 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup chopped dates
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Place the dates and baking soda in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over the top and allow to cool. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the bowl in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
When cool, pour the water and dates into the sugar and egg mixture. Whisk to combine.
Use a spatula to gently stir in the flour and nuts. Take care not to overmix the batter, which can make the bread tough.
Divide the mixture between the two greased loaf pans. Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with dry crumbs attached.
Alternatively, you can bake this recipe in tin cans. Grease five or six clean #2 cans (#2 cans typically hold 20 oz of fruit, vegetables, etc.). Divide the mixture between the cans, filling each can halfway full. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with dry crumbs attached.

Video

Notes

Make sure to pour all of the water that the dates were soaking in into the batter. You'll need it to soak up all of the flour!

Use dried dates for this recipe (not medjool dates). I used deglet noor dates, and I found them with the other dried fruits at my local grocery store. They may be simply labeled as, "dates" or "chopped dates".

You can substitute pecans for walnuts if you prefer, or leave out the nuts altogether.

The bread will keep for up to 1 week at room temperature. Keep it tightly covered. You can also freeze it for up to two months. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in a resealable freezer bag, and defrost on the countertop overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 233mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 59IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

Keyword date nut bread, quick bread

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment!