Old-Fashioned Date Nut Bread with Walnuts

This old-fashioned date nut bread is a lightly sweet quick bread made with chopped dates, brown sugar, vanilla, and walnuts. It has a close, springy crumb with just enough moisture to hold together and slice easily, without the soft, cake-like texture of many modern quick breads.

The dates are softened in boiling water before being added to the batter, providing moisture without any added butter or oil. With its gentle sweetness and pieces of walnuts throughout, it’s a lovely bread for breakfast or a slice alongside your afternoon tea, coffee, or hot cocoa.

I like the simplicity of this traditional mixing method. Instead of putting everything into one bowl at once, you beat the egg until it’s light and fluffy, gradually add the brown sugar, and then mix in the cooled dates. The walnuts go in last, giving you little pieces of nut throughout the loaf. It’s the sort of homemade bread you can slice for afternoon tea or serve alongside your morning coffee.

Quick Answer

Date nut bread is a quick bread made with dried dates and chopped nuts, usually walnuts. This version softens the dates in boiling water and baking soda, then combines them with a brown sugar and egg mixture before baking at 325°F for 75 minutes.

Why You Will Love This Date Nut Bread

A simple way to bake with dried dates. You don’t need to cook the dates in a saucepan or turn them into a purée. Pour boiling water over the chopped dates, let them cool, and use the whole mixture in your bread.

Easy to slice and serve. The bread has a close, springy crumb that holds together nicely when cut. It’s not overly cake-like or sugary, making it a good choice when you want something lightly sweet with breakfast or a warm drink.

No yeast or rising time. This recipe gets its lift from baking soda, baking powder, and the mixing method. Once the dates have cooled and the batter is prepared, it can go straight into the oven. If you enjoy making homemade quick breads, my zucchini bread with sour cream is another one worth trying. It uses grated zucchini and sour cream for moisture, while this date nut bread uses the liquid from the softened dates.

No added butter or oil. This traditional quick bread gets its moisture from the softened dates and their soaking liquid rather than added fats. Keeping all the liquid is essential to the recipe, so don’t drain the dates after soaking.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Date Nut Bread

Start with your dates. If they’re already pitted, cut them into smaller pieces before measuring one cup. If you’re working with whole dates, slice each one open, remove the pit, and then chop it. A pit left behind can be surprisingly hard, so it’s worth checking as you work.

Place the chopped dates into a heatproof mixing bowl along with one teaspoon of baking soda. Measure three-quarters of a cup of boiling water and carefully pour it over the dates. Let the mixture stand until it has cooled. The hot water softens the dried fruit, so the date pieces will be easier to incorporate into the bread.

Don’t drain the dates or discard the soaking water! The liquid is important because this date nut bread contains no added butter or oil. It provides moisture to the batter while the softened dates add their natural sweetness. Make sure to add both the dates and all of their soaking liquid when combining the ingredients.

While the dates cool, preheat your oven to 325°F and thoroughly grease your loaf pan, including the corners.

In a separate large mixing bowl, crack in one egg and beat it until it looks light and fluffy. If you’re using an electric hand mixer, start on a lower speed and increase it once the egg has broken up. You can also use a whisk, although it will take more effort to incorporate air.

Now add three-quarters of a cup of brown sugar, a little at a time. Beat well after each addition instead of adding it all at once. Continue until the sugar is incorporated into the egg.

Add one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of vanilla extract, mixing them into the beaten egg and sugar.

Once the date mixture is cool, add it to the mixing bowl along with all of the liquid. Stir to distribute the chopped dates throughout the mixture. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the date bowl so you don’t leave any softened fruit behind.

Next, add one and a half cups of all-purpose flour and one teaspoon of baking powder. Stir until the flour is incorporated and you can no longer see dry flour around the bottom or sides of the bowl. There’s no need to keep beating the batter after the flour has disappeared.

Finally, add three-quarters of a cup of chopped walnut pieces. Fold them through the batter so they’re distributed rather than gathered in one spot.

Transfer the batter to a greased 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and spread it evenly into the corners. Don’t be surprised by how little batter there is! This recipe makes a small loaf, and the batter won’t even reach halfway up the pan. It will rise while baking, but don’t expect it to reach above the rim like a traditional banana bread. That’s normal for this recipe.

Bake at 325°F for one hour and fifteen minutes, following the original recipe’s baking time. At that point, check the centre with a wooden toothpick or cake tester. You want to see that the middle is set, without raw batter clinging to the tester. Be aware that a piece of softened date may stick to the toothpick even when the surrounding bread has baked.

Allow the finished loaf to cool before slicing. The bread needs time for its internal structure to set, particularly around the pieces of dates and walnuts.

Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Date Nut Bread

You’ll find the measured quantities in the recipe card below. Each ingredient plays a part in building the flavour and structure of this traditional quick bread.

Pitted Dates. The main fruit ingredient in the loaf. Dates provide sweetness and soft pieces of fruit throughout the bread. Chop them before soaking so the boiling water can soften the pieces more evenly.

Baking Soda. Added to the dates before the boiling water. It helps soften the fruit and acts as a leavening ingredient in the batter.

Boiling Water. Softens the chopped dates and provides moisture for the bread. Because this recipe has no added butter or oil, retaining the soaking liquid is especially important. All of the water goes into the batter along with the dates.

Egg. Binds the batter together and helps the loaf hold its shape as it bakes. Beating the egg until light and fluffy is part of the recipe’s original technique.

Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness and a deeper, caramel-like flavour that goes well with the dates. It’s gradually beaten into the egg before adding the remaining ingredients.

Salt. Balances the sweetness and helps bring out the flavour of the brown sugar, vanilla, and walnuts.

Vanilla Extract. Adds a mild, sweet aroma and rounds out the other flavours without competing with the dates.

All-Purpose Flour. Gives the quick bread structure so it can rise, set, and eventually be cut into slices.

Baking Powder. Provides additional leavening to help the bread rise in the oven.

Walnut Pieces. Add a crunchy texture and nutty flavour that contrasts with the soft dates. Using chopped pieces helps distribute them throughout the loaf. If you enjoy walnuts in homemade quick breads, my banana bread with walnuts is another loaf to try. It’s made with ripe bananas and has a lighter, cake-like texture.

Date Nut Bread Substitutions and Variations

Dates. You can start with whole pitted dates or pre-chopped dates. If your dates are particularly dry, the boiling-water soak is especially useful. Keep the measured amount of dates and water the same as the original recipe.

Brown Sugar. Light brown sugar will have a milder flavour, while dark brown sugar is likely to bring a more noticeable molasses taste. This is a possible variation, but the finished result hasn’t been compared in this recipe.

Vanilla Extract. Vanilla is the original flavouring. For a different version, a little finely grated orange zest could be added, although this would be an untested adaptation.

All-Purpose Flour. The original recipe uses white flour. Whole wheat flour absorbs liquid differently, so replacing all the flour could make the bread heavier. I’d keep the original flour for the first bake.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder. Both are included in the recipe and have different roles in the mixing method. Don’t omit either one or assume you can replace one with an equal amount of the other.

Walnut Pieces. Chopped pecans could be used for a slightly different nut flavour. Keep in mind that this is a suggested variation rather than a tested replacement.

Expert Tips, Serving and Storing Suggestions for Date Nut Bread

Tip #1: Check every date for pits. Even packaged pitted dates can occasionally contain a piece of pit. Cut the dates on a board where you can see what you’re working with, especially if the pieces are sticky.

Tip #2: Don’t rush the cooling time. The date mixture should be cool before it goes into the bowl with your beaten egg. Adding hot liquid can start cooking the egg and interfere with the smooth mixing process.

Tip #3: Beat the egg and sugar in the correct order. Start with the egg, beat until fluffy, and gradually add the sugar. This is different from recipes that begin by creaming butter and sugar together.

Tip #4: Check the centre, not just the crust. A loaf can develop a browned top before the middle has set. Check the deepest part of the bread with a tester at the end of the stated baking time.

Tip #5: Slice after cooling. This date nut bread has a close, springy crumb that holds together nicely when sliced. Allowing it to cool helps the bread firm up, making it easier to cut into even slices without breaking apart around the walnuts and dates.

Tip #6: Expect a smaller loaf. This recipe makes a short loaf rather than a tall, bakery-style bread. The batter doesn’t fill a 9 × 5-inch pan halfway, and the finished loaf stays below the rim. Don’t mistake its smaller size for a failed rise.

Serving Suggestions

Date and walnut bread is well suited to a cup of coffee or afternoon tea. Let the loaf cool and cut it into slices. A little butter or cream cheese would make a pleasant addition, especially if you prefer something less sweet alongside the dates.

If you enjoy this sort of traditional homemade baking, my apple tea bread is another loaf you can slice and serve with coffee. It’s made with chopped apples, brown sugar, walnuts, and warm spices.

You might also enjoy my vintage 1940s gingerbread loaf with orange glaze for a different old-fashioned flavour.

How to Store Date Nut Bread

Let the bread cool completely before wrapping it to prevent condensation from collecting inside the wrapping.

The exact storage duration for this particular loaf hasn’t been confirmed yet. For now, keep it well wrapped and avoid leaving cut slices exposed to the air. Tested room-temperature and freezer-storage guidance can be added once the loaf’s keeping quality has been established.

Old-fashioned date nut bread is a nice alternative to the usual quick breads when you want to bake with dried fruit. The combination of softened dates, brown sugar, and walnuts makes it a natural choice for a homemade loaf to share over coffee or tea.

For another old-fashioned breakfast bake, try my raisin bran muffins with molasses. They’re made with wheat bran, raisins, and molasses for a different kind of homemade baking.

Do you prefer your homemade fruit breads plain or with a little butter spread over the slices?

Meet Amber

I’m the home cook and recipe creator behind A Cents For Cookery. I learned to cook growing up off-grid in Northern Ontario, where meals were made on a woodstove and preserving, baking, and making ingredients stretch were part of everyday life. Here I share practical family recipes, homemade baking, vintage-inspired cooking, and the kitchen knowledge I’ve picked up over the years to help you make the most of the food you have.

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