Pass It On Bread Starter And Date Nut Bread Recipes

DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine baking soda with the boiling water. Soak the dates in the water and baking soda solution for 30 minutes.
• Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs, vanilla, dates, nuts, flour, and salt.
• Divide batter equally between two 9 x 5 (or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2) inch greased loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) (or until loaf tests done). Can be frozen when cool.

DATE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• Place the dates in a small bowl and sprinkle with the salt and baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the mixture and allow it to sit until it cools.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer (or a whisk and a lot of elbow grease), beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the date mixture (water and all) and then fold in the flour. The batter will be very stiff.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and, using a rubber spatula, smooth out the top so the loaf is even. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown, a toothpick tests clean when inserted into the center of the loaf, and the bread is firm to the touch, about 40 minutes. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before turning it out of the pan and slicing it. Leftovers can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days (if the slices get a bit dry, you can revive them in a toaster oven or regular oven set at 300 degrees F for a few minutes before serving).

DATE-NUT YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place the first six ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available. Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed)., Just before the final kneading (your machine may audibly signal this), add dates and walnuts.

QUICK AND EASY ENGLISH DATE AND NUT BREAD

Steps:

• In a 5 or 6 quart bowl or lidded food storage container, mix the water and the milk together and then add the yeast, salt and malt powder. Because we are mixing in the flour so quickly it doesn't matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together. If you are using the fresh cake yeast break it up.
• Dump in the flour along with the dates and pecans all at once and stir with a long handled wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk, which is one of the tools that makes the job so much easier!
• Stir it until all of the wheat is incorporated into the dough. It will be a wet rough dough.
• Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut. You want the gases from the yeast to escape. (You could put a little hole in the top of the lid so that you could close the lids and still allow the gases to get out.). Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise. When you first mix the dough it will not occupy much of the container. But, after the initial 2 hour rise it will pretty much fill it. (If you have decreased the yeast you will have to let it go longer than 2 hours.) DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH! Just let it settle by itself.
• The dough will be flat on the top and some of the bubbles may even appear to be popping. (If you intend to refrigerate the dough after this stage it can be placed in the refrigerator even if the dough is not perfectly flat. The yeast will continue to work even in the refrigerator.) The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled. It is intended for refrigeration and use over the next week and a half, ready for you anytime. The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.
• The next day when you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you will notice that it has collapsed and this is totally normal for this type of dough. It will never rise up again in the container.
• Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out.
• You should notice that the dough has a lot of stretch once it has rested. (If your dough breaks off instead of stretching your dough is probably too dry and you can just add a few tablespoons of water and let it sit again until the dough absorbs the additional water.).
• At this point, you can divide the dough into 4 one pound balls and freeze them in airtight containers for up to three weeks. Allow 24 hours in refrigerator to thaw before use. You can also leave the dough in its container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, cutting off pieces as needed.
• When ready to bake, cut off a 1-pound piece of dough using kitchen shears and hold in your hands. Add a little more flour so it will not stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive.
• Rest the loaf on a generous layer of flour on top of a pizza peel. Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes, (although letting it go 60 or even 90 minutes will give you a more open hole structure in the interior of the loaf. This may also improve the look of your loaf and prevent it from splitting on the bottom. ) You will notice that the loaf does not rise much during this rest, in fact it may just spread sideways, this is normal for this type of dough.
• Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a baking stone on the center rack, with a metal broiler tray on the bottom (never use a glass vessel for this or it will shatter), which will be used to produce steam. (The tray needs to be at least 4 or 5 inches away from your stone to prevent it from cracking.).
• Dust the top of the loaf with more flour. Slide the loaf into the oven onto the preheated stone and add a cup of hot tap water to the broiler tray. Quickly close the oven door. Bake the bread for 35 minutes or until a deep brown color. To insure that you get the best results it is crucial to have an Oven Thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate.
• Allow the loaf to cool on a rack until it is room temperature.

GREAT NANA'S SECRET INGREDIENT DATE NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans, or line with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and shortening. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Toss the walnuts and dates with the dry ingredients, and stir into the sugar mixture alternately with the hot coffee. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
• Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

WALNUT DATE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the dates, water and butter; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, walnuts, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and date mixture. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. , Pour into two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if top browns to quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.