Date-nut bread—also called date walnut loaf—is a traditional tea bread from Scotland. It is often made with treacle (golden syrup) as the sweetener, with brown sugar or molasses used in the U.S. Coffee or black are often added to give the bread a dark brown color.

These dates, date nut bread is hard to find in the States, but remains on offer in the cafes, bakeries and tea rooms of Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and across the Commonwealth. It is particularly popular at Christmas.

And with a few days before Christmas, you have just enough time to bake a loaf or two for breakfast, brunch, and snacks.

One of the classic tea sandwiches is date nut bread filled with cream cheese. The combination also substitutes for breakfast pastry or a bagel, with a cup of coffee or tea.

Some modern variations:

 
> The recipe is below.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF DATE NUT BREAD

Date nut bread is a traditional Scottish tea bread that became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s.

In the early 1900s, Samuel Bath Thomas, a British immigrant, opened a bakery in New York City. He first created the English Muffin, and then expanded his repertoire.

According to one source, one of the bakery’s most popular offerings was Thomas’ Date Nut Bread. Its rich flavor and moistness set it apart from other breads of the time, and it caught on as a choice for breakfast or a snack.

Small sandwich triangles of thinly-sliced date nut bread filled with cream cheese, became a crowd-pleasing tea sandwich. You could have them for breakfast or lunch at Chock Full O’ Nuts lunch counters†.

Yet, it’s surprising that this recipe, which should date back centuries, was first recorded as a recipe in 1939 according to Wikipedia, a date that has been copied all over the Web.

But the relatively recent date turns out to be not surprising. Digging a bit, we discovered that published recipes other quick breads, like banana bread, carrot bread, and zucchini bread, also date from the mid-20th century. (Note that recipes can exist for decades before first being published.)

In the U.S., Thomas’ Date Nut Bread and Dromedary‡ Date Nut Bread (the latter baked in cans, photo #7) were staples for lovers of the bread: dark, moist loaves with the deep flavor of molasses.

Alas for fans, decades later, there was a shift towards healthier, whole grain breads and gluten-free options. With just so much shelf space, there was less room on the supermarket shelf for specialty breads like date nut.

There is still demand, however.

 
 
> The history of bread.

> The different type of bread: a photo glossary.
 
 
RECIPE: OLD-FASHIONED DATE WALNUT BREAD

Prep time is 10 minutes and bake time is 45 to 55 minutes.

A tablespoon of brandy or vodka is added as a flavor enhancer, serving to disperse flavor molecules throughout the bread. There’s no taste of it in the final product.

The recipe calls for a cup of hot coffee. You can also use a flavored coffee for a bit more complexity: Caramel or vanilla are both good choices. The bread doesn’t taste at all like coffee. (If you can’t have coffee’s acidity or caffeine, substitute boiling water*.)

Thanks to King Arthur Baking for the recipe.
 
Ingredients For 1 Loaf (About 16 Slices)

 
Plus:

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ loaf pan.

2. PLACE the dates, butter, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot coffee into the bowl, stirring to combine. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes.

3. ADD the egg, vanilla, liquor, baking powder, and flour, beating gently until smooth. Stir in the walnuts.

4. POUR the batter into the pan, gently tapping the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

5. BAKE the bread for 45 to 55 minutes, tenting the loaf gently with foil after 30 minutes, to prevent over-browning.

6. TEST the cake for doneness. A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean; an instant-read thermometer should read about 200°F.

7. REMOVE the bread from the oven. After 10 minutes, gently turn the bread out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing. If not serving that day, don’t slice. Instead…

8. WRAP the loaf airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

[1] Moist and delicious, a loaf of date nut bread. The recipe is below (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[2] You can purchase this loaf ready-made from the Vermont Country Store (photo © Vermont Country Store).

[3] Chop succulent dates for the batter (photo © Bard Valley Natural Delights).

[4] Add walnuts—or pecans if you prefer (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Don’t forget lots of cream cheese for slathering (photo © Bickford Flavors).

[6] A tablespoon of vodka or brandy serves a flavor enhancer, dispersing flavor molecules throughout the bread (photo © Tito’s Vodka).

[7] A can of Dromedary brand date nut bread, long discontinued (photo via Dying For Chocolate | Pinterest).

**A trick from the great chef Larry Forgione: Freeze the ice cream sandwiches hard; then butter and toast them in a panini press for five minutes until the outside of the bread gets toasted while the ice cream remains solid.

†The lunch counters, which launched in the Great Depression, were sold off in the late 1980s and subsequently discontinued [source].

‡The Dromedary Food Products was launched by Hills Bros. in the early 1900s, specializing in dates, figs, coconut, and other specialty products. While the dates are still available, the date nut bread is long gone.