Of all the loaves one might want to make on a hot day, Date and Walnut always tugs at my heart. After all, the two key ingredients are from hot, hot places (Greece and Turkey in this case, which made me feel a little like I might have a loafy mutiny to contend with when they found each other out) and oh, but it's refreshing.
This recipe produces a very moist, light loaf and with few ingredients, which can't but make a girl happy.
ingredients:
8oz plain flour (I use Dove Organic)
1 level tsp baking powder
1 level tsp baking soda
4oz granulated sugar
4oz margarine (I use Pure Dairy Free)
6oz walnuts, chopped small and evenly
6oz dated, pitted and chopped
150 ml (1/4 pint) soya milk
method:
Preheat oven to 150 C or Gas 4 and have prepared a greased one-pound tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar in a large bowl, then add the margarine and rub together until crumbly in texture. Fold in the dates and walnuts -- I tend to add the dates an ounce at a time and give the mix a bit of a stir to cover them so that they don't stick to each other. Add the milk and stir until the batter becomes almost lofty. I actually substituted about 50 ml for cold coffee this time and it's given the finished product a light caramelised finish throughout.
Pour the batter into the tin and set in the oven on the next-to-lowest shelf. Bake for one hour or until the test knife comes out clean.
The original recipe (off my baking powder container of all things) recommends you leave it cooled and wrapped for 24 hours before cutting into it, but I've never made it more than 20 minutes. Delicious!
Comments