Vintage: Date Nut Bread

Date Nut Bread

My dear friend, Judy, has shared her mother-in-law’s recipe for this vintage Date Nut Bread.  Bake the batter in cleaned vegetable cans for that old classic look. It is moist, dense and filled with memories.

1 cup chopped dates

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon shortening

1 ½ cups boiling water

1 egg

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted, chopped and dusted with a teaspoon of flour

5 empty, cleaned 14.5 ounce vegetable cans

In a small mixing bowl, place the dates, baking soda, shortening and pour the boiling water over the ingredients and let sit.  Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, sugar, vanilla. In an additional bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture.  Add the date mixture and the nuts and stir.  Mist the cans with cooking spray.  Using a ¼ measuring cup, pour the date nut mixture into the cans to the half-way point.  Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes, until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool the cans on a rack and remove the round loaves.  Wrap each in foil and store in an air-tight container or freeze.  Makes 5 small loaves.