Mark your calendar, today’s date is important. Today’s date, in fact, is front and center and baked into bread. September 8 is National Date Nut Bread Day!
In yet another weird twist, December 22 is also devoted to date nut bread. I checked, I double-checked, and then I double-checked again. ‘Tis true. We pay homage to date nut bread twice this year. By then we’ll be steaming down the home stretch, so I probably won’t complain too bitterly that “we’ve already done this holiday!”
The word date is derived from dáktulos, the Greek word for finger. So the next time somebody cuts you off in traffic, give ’em the ol’ dáktulos! They were named for their resemblance to a finger, actually – though that’s a pretty shriveled-looking fat finger, if you ask me. Dates “date” back thousands of years, and were an important staple food for those in the Middle East. Evidence of their existence dates back to as far as 7000 B.C. Wow, were there even people around then? In fact, dates are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible. They grow on palm trees and ripen in four stages: kimri (unripe), khlal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried). They favor warm climates and grow abundantly in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, California, and Arizona.
It’s unclear who first thought of combining dates and nuts into a loaf of bread and baking it, but we’re glad they did – it’s a tasty, slightly sweet and crunchy treat. I used this recipe and baked it up myself. We were both very impressed!
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- Today on the tray: Chock full o’nuts…and dates (michaelstvtray.com)
- Date and Nut Bread Loaf (whitneylabrie.com)
Eat My Words 
I just don’t think I could eat it. Even now, looking at your beautifully baked bread, I don’t know. I tend to just go blech!
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The dates weren’t bad. Kind of like raisins! Of course, if you don’t like raisins, you’re screwed. This was very similar to banana bread, and turned out pretty good – especially considering I mixed it all by hand.
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Yeah…it’s because of my dislike of baked raisins that I go blech!
I’m assuming you mixed by hand due to the fact you needed pieces of dates throughout the bread. Since you have a 1970’s mix master, that would be the only reason I can think of.
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Actually, it’s because Tara was at work and I didn’t know how to use the 1970s mix master, lol. It was easier just to do it by hand.
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