Date Bread

Not that kind of date. These kind of dates.

I was recently lucky enough to be given my grandmother’s recipe book. My Gran is 86 years old. She raised 10 children and there are so many grandchildren that I actually can’t keep count. We often refer to her as being like the Godfather. At family gatherings, she makes an entrance,  everyone comes to speak to her, and then she leaves when she wants! Recently the family home was renovated and there was a clear out and well, I was delighted that my aunt thought of me to get the famous recipe book. It has seen better days but it was a joy to carefully turn the pages and see her handwriting.

One of the recipes, among others, that jumped out at me was Date Bread. I recalled that I had a jar of dates in the press just waiting around for someone to come and show them some love. The recipe directions were not very detailed but it all seemed simple enough to make.

Pre-heat your oven to 190C and grease and line a loaf tin. You will need;

4oz whole meal flour, 4oz plain flour, 2 level tsp baking powder, 2tbsp golden syrup, 7tbsp milk, 6oz chopped dates*, 2 oz margarine.

*I used dried dates.

Mix the flours and baking powder together. Rub the margarine into the mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the chopped dates and mix well.  In a saucepan, heat the milk and the golden syrup very gently until it comes together. Pour the mixture into the flour and date mixture and mix well. Pour the mix into the loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven. The recipe states for 1 hour, but I took it out after 45 minutes. Check the bread from about 40 mins onwards. Use a knife inserted to test. If it comes out clean, the bread is cooked. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice, serve and enjoy.

The whole meal flour in the bread gives it a nuttiness, and the golden syrup is surprisingly, not overpowering in its sweetness. When I am making it again, I would try soaking the dates in some brandy and heating them over a low heat for 30 mins or so before chopping.

I was on a serious coffee buzz yesterday so I had a slice of the cake, still warm with a very strong coffee in my favourite mug from Boston.

Enjoy,

Orlsxx

PS, In other news this week, we are delighted to have been nominated for a blog award, in the best photo blog category. It is an amazing honour to see lil ole Gracie’s Bakes along side so many amazing blogs. You should certainly check out the list of nominees and sign up for the ones you like. There is an amazing blogging community in Ireland. I have been very lax recently as work has been taking more and more of my time as is the nature of my work. However the other nominees are religious, and methodical about sharing parts of their lives with their readers. Enjoy the links