It isn't too often that I make the same recipe two days in a row. I did with Mrs. Omar A. Peachey's recipe I found in my Big Valley Amish Cook-Book. Both times the bread was awesome; I just preferred the looks of it the second time. I possibly could have stirred the mixture more the first time, but she had indicated to not over-mix the mixture. I usually pay close attention to those words in a recipe. I showed you the instructions and pictures for my version and Mrs. Peachey's verision below.
I did decide to make two mini loaves the second time as it takes so long for just the two of us to eat a large loaf of "bread". I decided to reduce the sugar by a fourth of a cup both times. I will often do this when a recipe has dried fruit in it. I didn't even tell my husband and he hasn't said a thing about it not being sweet.
DATE AND NUT BREAD
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup boiling water
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar (I reduced it to 3/4 cup)
1-1/2 cups sifted flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pan or two mini loaf pans.
Combine nuts, dates, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add shortening and boiling water.
Let set for 15 minutes.
Stir to blend
Beat eggs and add vanilla.
Sift flour and then measure out 1-1/2 cups in a bowl and add sugar. (Failed to take a picture.)
Add egg mixture to date mixture.
Add flour mixture and
stir to combine. Do not over-mix.
Pour batter in loaf pan(s).
Bake large loaf for about 1 hour or about 45 - 50 minutes for mini loaves.
I cooled the loaves in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on wire rack.
****Mrs. Peachey's recipe said to "Beat eggs and add vanilla.
Stir in sugar and flour.
Add to the date mixture. (I broke up into smaller clumps/pieces so that it would be easier to mix.)
Do not over-mix." (Because she said to not over-mix, I tried to mash out the "lumps" as best as I could.)
The loaf looked really nice when I took it out of the oven, but when I sliced it,
it was obvious I didn't mash all of the lumps out.
It tasted fine, I just didn't like seeing the light chunks in it. That is why I rewrote the instructions, so that it would look like this.
I did decide to make two mini loaves the second time as it takes so long for just the two of us to eat a large loaf of "bread". I decided to reduce the sugar by a fourth of a cup both times. I will often do this when a recipe has dried fruit in it. I didn't even tell my husband and he hasn't said a thing about it not being sweet.
DATE AND NUT BREAD
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup boiling water
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar (I reduced it to 3/4 cup)
1-1/2 cups sifted flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pan or two mini loaf pans.
Sift flour and then measure out 1-1/2 cups in a bowl and add sugar. (Failed to take a picture.)
Looks delish!! I can't save it as a receipe
ReplyDeleteIt is delicious. Sorry I do not have that option on my blog. You can either save the link or print the post with the option of omitting the pictures. The print option is on the bottom of the post. Patricia
DeleteI just made this. Smells delicious and slid easily out of the loaf pan. But as it cooled, it collapsed right down the middle! Any ideas why?
ReplyDeleteI just hate when this happens. When you cut it after it cooled, was it not done in the center. That usually is the case. I always press on the center to see if it is fairly firm before removing from oven. I have a date loaf cake recipe my mother always made and sometimes it sinks in the middle. It will always be a little gooey there when I cut it. Oven temperatures can differ and cause more or less cooking time. Also opening the oven door while baking can influence the outcome in a bad way. I don't do this unless it has baked 3/4 of the time. Hope this helps. Patricia
DeleteI used one of those old fashioned cake testers and it came out clean so I thought it was done. However, when I cut it this morning the slices closest to the middle did have some gooeyness there - ate it anyway :) Also, new to shopping in OH I couldn't find the type of chopped dates I've used in baking before, so thought I'd try regular Medool (?) dates and cut them. They are very, very moist and that might have been part of the problem. It smelled so good. Not sure if we should finish eating it though if it is indeed not thoroughly cooked.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely continue to eat it. I actually like the gooeyness of Mother's date loaf. Did you cut the dates up "finely"? I love those dates and buy them, too. I usually cut down the center to make two long halves. If the date is big, I will cut each half one more time. Then I cut across the long halves about every 1/4 inch - no more than 3/8 inch. If you had larger pieces that might have made it sink from the weight. It is sometimes hard when you use a toothpick to not go through chocolate chips, dates, cherries, etc when baking. That's why I usually press lightly on center before removing it. If my fingers sink, I cook it another minute or two. Thanks for replying back to me. I would definitely go on and eat the bread though. Patricia
DeleteAh - thanks for all the suggestions. I did cut the dates lengthwise and then in snippets, but they were still larger than the purchased chopped dates. I love dates and have a recipe from my favorite Aunt for date squares made with an oatmeal topping - she made it every Christmas. I must get back into the tradition!!! Thanks again!
Delete