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This Date Bread is a moist and decadent snack or dessert that’s simple to make. A rich batter studded with Medjool dates, nuts, and flavored with warm spices like cinnamon, it’s something everyone will truly love. The batter is made with whole-wheat flour and sweetened with maple syrup, for a rich flavor combination that’s truly divine.
I’ve tested this recipe more times than I can count. Developing whole-wheat baked goods is challenging. But when you get it right there’s nothing better. Whole-wheat flour adds so much more flavor than regular flour. And here it pairs wonderfully with the toasty walnuts, caramel-y dates, and warm spices.
What is Date Nut Bread?
Date bread is a quick bread, that’s traditionally Scottish in origin and became popular in the US in the 1920s. It’s a type of bread made with baking soda and/or baking powder instead of yeast and tends to be sweet!
If you’ve never had date nut bread before, then you’re in for a treat! Made with chopped dates and nuts, it’s dense in texture but also moist and pretty sweet. It’s quite a popular recipe, many companies have also made store-bought or cake mix versions of it too.
My version is less sweet, moist but not nearly as dense, and more flavorful thanks to the addition of warm spices.
It’s the perfect bread to whip up for a party, friends coming over, or to give as a gift. We can truly say this bread with be requested over and over again.
Reader Review
“Moist and flavorful date bread. Perfect to put in husbands lunch box. All the recipes I have tried from this website are keepers.”
– Karen Z.
Ingredients
You’re in luck, most of the ingredients are already found in your pantry. You probably just need to grab a handful of things at the store.
- White whole-wheat flour: whole-wheat flour adds a nutty, toasty depth of flavor that all-purpose just doesn’t add. You can also use regular whole-wheat flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda: you’ll need both of these leaveners to adequately lift the bread.
- Warm Spices: cinnamon and ginger add a nice warmth to the bread. Feel free to also add some fresh nutmeg.
- Kosher salt: a pinch of salt is needed in all sweet baked goods to balance and enhance the flavors.
- Whole milk: I recommend using whole milk, not a low-fat milk.
- Eggs: it’s important to use eggs labeled as large. Each large egg, out of shell, should weight 50 grams.
- Pure maple syrup: make sure you’re using pure maple syrup. This adds more flavor than regular sugar and pairs wonderfully with the dates, nuts and spices.
- Olive oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil because of the flavor it adds. You can also use regular olive oil or even vegetable oil.
- Melted butter (optional, you can use olive oil instead): I like the flavor that a few tablespoons of butter adds to the loaf. If you’d prefer to skip it, simply replace the butter with additional olive oil.
- Brandy or bourbon (also optional, but it adds great flavor): a splash of brandy or bourbon adds depth and warmth to the bread.
- Vanilla extract: just a splash adds depth of flavor and rounds out the spices.
- Dates: the star of the show! Seek out medjool dates that are soft and pliable.
- Walnuts or pecans: either work wonderfully here. Be sure to toast (and cool) the nuts before mixing into the batter. The best way to toast nuts is to arrange them on a baking sheet and toast in a 350ºF oven for about 8 minutes.
- Turbinado or demerara sugar: sprinkle this over top of the loaf right before baking for a sweet, sparkly, crunchy topping.
How to Make Date Bread
Just like any other quick bread, this date bread recipe is easy to make. No special equipment and no hard-to-find ingredients.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, set aside.
- Whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, oil, butter, bourbon (if using), and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the chopped dates to the wet mixture and let sit 10 minutes (optional step, but I find this loosens up the dates, helping them better disperse throughout the batter).
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until combined, some pockets of flour are OK.
- Add the nuts and fold to combine.
- Spread the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake bread until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the dates are fresh. This means make sure your dates are not super dry and old. They should be very pliable and soft. This is important for keeping the bread moist, chewy, and almost gooey!
- Refresh dried dates. Now if your dates are too dry, then you can refresh them by soaking them in hot water for 10–15 minutes. Drain them, pat dry and use as directed in the recipe.
- Omit the butter and use only olive oil. If you want to use only olive oil, go right ahead! Just swap those two tablespoons of butter for 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the chopped dates to the wet mixture and let them sit for 10 minutes. This allows them to hydrate in the batter and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the date nut bread.
Storage
Store this bread at room temperature wrapped in plastic or foil for up to four days. Storing in the fridge may also allow it to last a couple of days longer.
This bread freezes well too! Simply wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat if desired in the oven or microwave until just warmed through.
Variations
- Add more warm spices like nutmeg, allspice, or clove.
- Try using molasses. Replace a few tablespoons of the maple syrup with molasses (this will give the bread a classic deep dark color).
- Add a sweet glaze. Finish the bread with a simple orange glaze or a simple cream cheese frosting.
- Make an oat streusel topping. Top the bread with a quick oat streusel instead of turbinado sugar
- Serve with a spread of sweetened cream cheese, a very classic pairing.
- Swap out the maple syrup. Use brown sugar in place of the maple syrup for sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Medjool dates are our choice for the chewy texture and good amount of moisture.
You can toss both ingredients in a tablespoon or so of flour before stirring them into the batter. But the batter of this recipe was developed to hold the dates and nuts throughout—so you should be good to go!
Simply insert a toothpick into the bread and if it comes out clean with a few moist crumbs, it’s finished.
Add a splash of milk until it reaches a less thick consistency. This batter will be thicker, but it shouldn’t be difficult to stir.
More Easy Cake Recipes
If you give this bread a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!
Date Bread with Nuts
Description
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Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (287g) white whole-wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or brandy, optional, to enhance flavor
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (6 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
- 1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (176ºC) with rack set in middle position. Coat an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat paper with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, set aside.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup, oil, butter, bourbon (if using), and vanilla until smooth. Stir in dates and let sit 10 minutes. Fold flour mixture into milk mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in nuts.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over top.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of loaf comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 55–60 minutes. (All ovens vary in temperature so start checking bread at 45 minutes.)
- Let bread cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn bread out onto wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 ½ hours.
- Store bread wrapped in parchment paper (I just use the paper from baking) and foil, or in a zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, though it’s best within 2 days. If you need to store it longer, pop it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Wasn’t disappointed in this healthier version of date nut loaf and I’ll make again, perhaps adding grated lemon rind. Everyone’s oven is different but 55-60 minutes in mine was too long. Lightly toasted slices and spread with butter – delicious!
Moist and flavorful date bread. Perfect to put in husbands lunch box. All the recipes I have tried from this website are keepers.
Hi Karen! Thanks so much for your comment, I’m so happy you enjoy this bread recipe. It’s one of my favorites as well. Thanks for trying some of my recipes!
Going to make the bread but will add macadamia nuts too. I know it will be good.
Next time I will check it with the tooth pick after 45 minutes because 55 to 60 minutes was too long.
Hi Vicki, I’m sorry to hear the bake time was too long. I’ve updated the recipe and recipe notes to direct people to check on it earlier. Thanks!
Could this be made into muffins? If so, how long would I cook them?
Great question! I haven’t tested this bread baked as muffins, but here is what I would do (based off of this whole-wheat muffin recipe with similar ingredient ratios: https://zestfulkitchen.com/date-nut-bread-recipe/)
Bake muffins 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping muffins in oven, reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 16–18 minutes more. (Total bake time is about 21–23 minutes.)
Let me know how it goes!
Delicious flavor, not too sweet and packed with dates and nuts. Based on the other reviews I baked it for 45 minutes. It’s a bit dry so next time I’d set a timer to check it at 40 minutes.
Thanks for the review! The bake time feedback will be helpful for others.
Your recipe is fantastic. I had read beforehand the other reviews about cooking times plus I only own a 9 x 5 loaf pan. To make sure I didn’t over cook the bread, I started out cooking it for 30 minutes and then did a check. It was still slightly gooey so I cooked it for 3 more minutes. It came out perfectly!!!! Moist and flavorful. I like the addition of the bourbon too. Yummy!!