Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread for #BreadBakers

Happy coincidences are indeed a good thing. There I was once again pondering about what to make for a theme. This time it is Bread Bakers and whole grains. Well, that theme is so incredibly wide open with possibilities. It was even easier because only half of the grains had to be whole. Should I do muffins, waffles, yeast bread, or what? Then for a separate reason I looked up food holidays. Coincidentally and lucky for me, Date Nut Bread day is today (September 8th). It only took a minor adjustment to a recipe and Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread happened in my kitchen.

There are two date nut bread days. Why? I have absolutely no clue. I don’t even know these food holidays get designated in the first place. Some make sense and others are way off. For example, gingerbread day is June 5th. It seems like it should be in December when all things gingerbread are made for the holidays. Anyway, after an internet search I found both September 8th and December 22nd are date nut bread days.

A note about the recipe: The original one is Old-Fashioned Date Nut Bread on the King Arthur website. My minor adjustment was to substitute part of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour. I chose white whole wheat because it is the lightest of the whole wheat flours. Date nut bread is already dense enough and I did not want a brick.

One side note on the recipe: The folks at King Arthur state the bread will not taste like coffee even though there is 1 cup of it in the ingredients. That was not the case with my bread. I think it is because of the way I brew coffee. I like it strong, as in, it could almost get up and walk out of the cup all by itself. I could definitely taste a little coffee flavor in my loaf. Use weak coffee if you would rather the flavor not be obvious. There is also the option of using lemon juice and water instead of coffee (1 tablespoon juice and water to make 1 cup). I prefer coffee flavor over lemon for this bread.

How is whole wheat date nut bread? It’s dense, slightly sweet, and packed with dates and walnuts. It seems to get better after a day or two. Keep it wrapped tightly. Serve it with butter or make a classic sandwich with cream cheese. Or use honey nut cream cheese for a little extra flavor and decadence.

Do you enjoy whole grain bread? Scroll down to see a list of recipes. There are plenty tasty ones to check out. My fellow bread bakers are so talented. I look forward to the lineup each month. Thanks to Cali’s Cuisine for hosting and setting a wonderful theme. Also look at my Homemade Wheat Bread with Oats and Honey for another bread made with whole grain.

5 from 2 votes

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Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread

Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread is an old-fashioned quick bread loaded with chopped dates and walnuts. Serve it with butter or cream cheese for a real treat.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author Renee

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped dates
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2- X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
2. Place dates, sugar, butter, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Pour coffee into bowl and stir to combine. Cool mixture for 15 minutes.
3. Whisk together egg, brandy, and vanilla in a small bowl.
4. Whisk together flours and baking powder in a separate bowl.
5. Add egg mixture to date mixture and stir to combine. Add flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in walnuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, spread evenly, and tap pan on the counter to settle batter.
7. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, tenting the loaf with aluminum foil after 30 minutes.
8. Bread is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 200°F.
9. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Wrap bread airtight and store a room temperature for several days. You can freeze bread for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread is an old-fashioned quick bread loaded with chopped dates and walnuts. Serve it with butter or cream cheese for a real treat.

Whole grains are good for you and can be tasty too. Take a look at these whole grain bread recipes from around the world:

• Bublik – Russian Bagels from Sara’s Tasty Buds
• Bulgur Wheat Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Cilantro and Garlic Oat Bread from Simply Veggies
• Corn Pizza on Multigrain Crust from Cook’s Hideout
• Gluten Free Honey Oat Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kitchen Sink Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Multigrain Country Bread from La cocina de Aisha
• Potato Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Rosemary, Garlic, and Parsley Whole Wheat Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Tomato and Rosemary Einkorn Focaccia Rounds from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Whole Grain Maple Oat Scones from Cali’s Cuisine
• Whole Grain Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Whole Grain Zucchini Macadamia Bread from The Schizo Chef
• Whole Wheat English Muffins from Spill the Spices
• Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread from Magnolia Days
• Whole Wheat Naan from Spiceroots

What is Bread Bakers? It’s a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Bread Bakers Pinterest Board. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page.

How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, send an email with your blog name and url to Stacy at [email protected].