Pumpkin Bread with Dates and Walnuts

(from sissboombah’s recipe box)

Makes a very moist, yummy loaf (I cut the recipe in half for a nice snack on our Half Moon Bay camping trip). Not the perfect pumpkin bread I am questing for (dates compete for flavor?), but very nice. Allegedly good with cream cheese or cranberrry sauce and thinly sliced poultry.

Source: The Baker's Dozen Cookbook, this recipe by John Phillip Carroll

Categories: baking, quick bread, tried-and-true

Ingredients

  • To make 2 loaves:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup corn oil
  • 2-1/3 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin or canned solid-pack pumpkin
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped dates

Directions

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Lightly butter and flour two 8-1/2 × 4-1/2 loaf pans.

  2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and allspice together into a large bowl.

  3. In another large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and oil until they are completely mixed. Add the pumpkin and whisk until blended. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts and dates.

  4. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until the batter is blended and there are no streaks of flour visible.

  5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pans. Bake until a long wooden skewer inserted in the loaves comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes.

  6. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Give each pan a sharp downward jerk to loosen the bread, then invert the loaves onto the rack. Turn right side up, and cool completely. (The bread can be baked up to 3 days ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen, double-wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 3 months.)

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