Dates at market in Kuwait
By Cat, Oct 2007 (Photo, right, cropped form Wikimedia Commons)
- See also: 1. Breads & Rolls menu; 2. Orange Date Bread-I, with Softened Dates and Orange Zest
- Includes: 1. Standard-method recipe; 2. Presoak flour recipe
I love date bread during the holidays. Dates and oranges together is a great flavor, and quite festive. I have several orange-date bread recipes on this site; this one has the most orange flavor, as both the juice and zest are used.. Refer to my article on Grains, Flours & Starches for more info on the flours used in this recipe.
Orange Date Bread II, with Dredged Dates
This recipe, adapted from the Vegetarian Epicure, Book 2, by Anna Thomas, is very orangey. See also Beloved Cookbooks for more on this cookbook. See below for pre-soaked flour version of this recipe.
Either whole wheat pastry flour or whole spelt flour (spelt is more like pastry flour than bread flour) can be used. For the white flour, either unbleached white all-purpose flour (wheat), or unbleached white spelt flour can be used. However, if using spelt, you may need more flour (or less moisture); see Spelt vs Wheat in Baked Goods for more.
See Grains: Grinding (for flour) & Flaking/Rolling (for porridge) if you would like to roll your own oats.
The original recipe called for sugar; I prefer to use unrefined cane sugar such as Rapadura, or stevia extract powder. I provide amounts for either option.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- 1 – 2 fresh oranges for 2 Tbsp zest and 1 cup juice
- ½ cup chopped dates
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or sprouted wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unbleached white flour, in divided portions
- ½ tsp unrefined sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup Rapadura sugar (or scant ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus 2 Tbsp raw local honey)
- 1 egg
- Equipment
- small, medium and large bowls
- 1 regular loaf pan, 2 small loaf pans, or 4 mini loaf pans; do not use aluminum pans.
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bread pan(s) with butter.
- Dredge dates in 2 Tbsp of the white flour in a small bowl, the stir in the oats. Set aside
- Measure all dry ingredients into a sifter, then sift into a medium bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar, then beat in the egg.
- Alternately add flour mixture and orange juice, beating after each addition. Add grated rind and stir to combine.
- Stir date mixture into batter, then spoon into prepared loaf pan(s)
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Soaked-Flour Version
Pre-soaking the whole grains (flour and oats) improves the availability of the minerals and other nutrients in the grains. In my opinion, it also creates a better texture for the baked product. I’ve not yet tested this version.
Either wheat or spelt can be used; however, if using spelt, you may need more flour (or less moisture); see Spelt vs Wheat in Baked Goods for more.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- Prep:
- 1 – 2 fresh oranges
- Presoak flour:
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or you can use whole spelt flour, but you may need to add more flour or less orange juice)
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup juice from fresh oranges
- Next day:
- ¼ cup juice from fresh oranges (if using stevia, below, stir it into the juice)
- ½ cup unbleached white flour (wheat or spelt)
- ½ tsp Unrefined sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup chopped dates
- 4 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup Rapadura sugar (or scant ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus 2 Tbsp raw local honey)
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp grated orange zest
- Equipment
- small, medium and large bowls
- 1 regular loaf pan, 2 small loaf pans, or 4 mini loaf pans; do not use aluminum pans.
Method:
- Prep: Grate zest of oranges, then squeeze juice. You need 2 Tbsp zest and 1 cup juice, divided.
- Pre-soak: Measure whole grain flour and oats into medium bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup orange juice until well combined.
- Press a sheet of waxed paper against the entire surface of the flour mixture in the bowl; place in refrigerator at least 12 hours or overnight.
- Next Day:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bread pan(s) with butter.
- Stir stevia into ¼ cup orange juice; let rest while you proceed.
- Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Stir in dates, to dredge them.
- Cream butter and sugar (or honey if using spelt), then beat in egg and stevia/orange juice mixture.
- Add egg mixture to the soaked flour, beating well. Add grated rind and stir to combine.
- Stir date & flour mixture into batter, then spoon into prepared loaf pan(s)
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
References
- Vegetarian Epicure, Book 2, by Anna Thomas; see also Beloved Cookbooks for more on this cookbook.
