Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

Date Bread
Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

Date lovers will love this Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf. Moist and delicious, this quick bread is made with Medjool dates, orange peel and zest, and warm spices. An old-fashioned flavorful tea loaf, it is delicious served perfectly plain or with a slather of butter.

This is a quick bread meaning no yeast or rising times are required. Quick breads, leavened with baking powder, and sometimes baking soda as is the case with this Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf, are quick to make (because there is no yeast involved) and are great additions to breakfast, brunch, and coffee or tea breaks. Some refer to them as tea breads because they are lovely with a fine cup of tea. The breads may be served perfectly plain or sometimes (depending on the flavor of the loaf) with a spread such as butter or cream cheese.

Date and Orange Bread for Teatime
Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

There are two methods for making quick breads – the creaming method (which this loaf uses) and the muffin method. If you aren’t familiar with these methods and the difference between the two, I would invite you to click here to read the post that accompanies my Cherry Loaf recipe.

While regular pitted dates can be used in this recipe, I recommend Medjool dates be used. These are the lovely large premium quality dates (pictured in photos in this post). These whole fresh dates are generally sweeter than regular pitted dates. Coarsely chop and pit the dates then weigh them to get the 8 oz required for the recipe. If you watch, you can often find 2 lb (907g) containers of Fresh Medjool dates on a fairly decent sale. They are usually found in the produce section of supermarkets.

Date Bread
Orange Date and Spice Loaf

Dates typically have a tough skin so it is best, for this recipe, if they are softened before incorporating them into the batter as this will help to keep the loaf moist and you won’t be biting into a hard, tough, chewy piece of date in a slice of the bread. I like to soak the dates in very hot and well steeped black tea. Any kind of black tea can be used – Earl or Lady Grey, Orange Pekoe, or English Breakfast, for example. I typically use Earl Grey because of its citrus notes which I find complement the orange zest and orange or mixed peel called for in the recipe.

Soaking the dates in steeped tea, instead of just water, infuses or injects some additional flavor into the loaf. While water can be used, using the tea will infuse subtle aromatics and provide depth of flavor without leaving a distinctive tea taste in the loaf. The tea will simply and subtly add to a rich flavor profile in the bread.

Infusing or cooking ingredients with steeped tea is not a new concept or uncommon. In fact, I cook the raisin filling in black tea for Raisin Pie. You will want to make sure the date mixture is cooled to room temperature before incorporating it into the loaf batter. It will take approximately 35-40 minutes or so for the mixture to cool to room temperature. Otherwise, there is a risk of the hot mixture making the flour gummy and resulting in a tough, gummy textured loaf.

Adding ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the dates and tea will also help to soften the dates. The baking soda will do double duty in this loaf as, not only will it help soften the dates but, it will be activated by the acidic ingredient, sour cream, and this activation will help the loaf to rise.

In addition to being the agent that will activate the baking soda, sour cream also lends lovely texture to the loaf. I often use sour cream in my baking for the attributes it brings to the baked product.

Sift or sieve the dry ingredients together. This will ensure better disbursement of the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in the batter. Make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature before mixing the batter. This helps to ensure that they blend well together. Mixing ingredients at different temperatures can cause curdling of the batter.

Slice of Date Bread
Orange Date and Spice Loaf

To enhance the citrus notes in this loaf, I have included ½ cup of orange peel (lighter-colored ingredient seen in the photo above). This is a traditional ingredient in fruitcakes but is usually available year-round in the baking aisle of supermarkets or in bulk food stores. If you can’t find orange peel specifically, use mixed peel (shown in photo below) which usually includes a mix of orange, lemon, and citron peel. For the finely grated orange zest (rind), I recommend using a microplane for this. If you don’t have one, use the smallest hole side of a box grater. The rind is meant to be very finely grated for this loaf.

Measuring cup full of mixed candied peel
Mixed Peel

I have listed chopped nuts as optional. If using nuts, I suggest either walnuts or pecans for this loaf.

As always, for best results, I recommend making the recipe using the ingredients called for in the recipe (no substitutes, omissions, or altered amounts unless suggested in the recipe itself or in this posting) and using the method with which the recipe developer has created and tested the recipe. Making alterations to a recipe can cause inconsistent results and the quality of the product may not be as intended. Unless I have tested a recipe with substitute ingredients not indicated in the recipe, using a different method, or different baking pan shape and size, I will be unable to offer any advice on what would work and would not, what baking times would be needed for different pans, and so forth.

Date Tea Bread
Orange Date and Spice Loaf

Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

Ingredients:

8 oz coarsely chopped Medjool dates (weighed after dates have been pitted and chopped)
1 1/8 cups hot black tea
½ tsp baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice

1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest

½ cup orange peel or mixed peel
½ cup chopped nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans) (optional)

Method:

Brew 1 1/8 cups black tea. Pour hot tea (reheating it, if necessary) over dates. Stir and let dates sit until cooled to room temperature, approximately 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9”x5”x3” loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper overhang with which to grasp and lift the loaf to remove it from the pan. Spritz parchment-lined pan very lightly with cooking oil.

In a bowl, sieve or sift the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices together. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed then add the brown sugar and blend well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl with spatula if and as necessary. Beat in the sour cream followed by the vanilla and grated orange zest. Beat just until ingredients are combined.

With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the cooled date mixture beginning and ending with dry ingredients (i.e., 3 additions of dry ingredients and two of the date mixture). Mix only until dry ingredients are just barely incorporated with wet ingredients. Do not overmix.

Remove bowl from mixer stand and fold in the orange or mixed peel and nuts (if including).

Spoon batter into prepared pan and, using a knife, smooth the top of the loaf. Place loaf in center of oven rack and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Let loaf rest in pan for 10 minutes after removing from oven then remove loaf and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Yield: One loaf, apx. 12-14 slices (sliced approximately ½” thick)

Note: This quick bread is best made the day before it is needed. Let cool completely on wire rack then place in airtight plastic bag and slice the following day. Loaf freezes well either wholly or in slices.

You may also enjoy these quick bread recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen:

Cherry Loaf
Cinnamon Quick Bread
Glazed Lemon Pecan Bread
Classic Banana Bread
Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf
Green Tomato Quick Bread
Strawberry Rhubarb Quick Bread
Blueberry Quick Bread
Irish Soda Bread

If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.

 

Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

Moist and delicious, this Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf is made with Medjool dates, orange peel and zest, and warm spices. An old-fashioned flavorful tea loaf, it is delicious served perfectly plain or with a slather of butter.
Course Quick Bread
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Date and Orange Loaf, Date and Orange Quick Bread, Date Loaf, Date, Orange, and Spice Loaf, quick bread
Servings 12
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara99

Ingredients

  • 8 oz coarsely chopped Medjool dates (weighed after dates have been pitted and chopped)
  • 1 1/8 cups hot black tea
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
  • ½ cup orange peel or mixed peel
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans) (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brew 1 1/8 cups black tea. Pour hot tea (reheating it, if necessary) over dates. Stir and let dates sit until cooled to room temperature, approximately 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  2. Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9”x5”x3” loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper overhang with which to grasp and lift the loaf to remove it from the pan. Spritz parchment-lined pan very lightly with cooking oil.

  3. In a bowl, sieve or sift the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices together. Set the dry ingredients aside.
  4. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed then add the brown sugar and blend well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl with spatula if and as necessary. Beat in the sour cream followed by the vanilla and grated orange zest. Beat just until ingredients are combined.
  5. With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the cooled date mixture beginning and ending with dry ingredients (i.e., 3 additions of dry ingredients and two of the date mixture). Mix only until dry ingredients are just barely incorporated with wet ingredients. Do not overmix.
  6. Remove bowl from mixer stand and fold in the orange or mixed peel and nuts (if including).
  7. Spoon batter into prepared pan and, using a knife, smooth the top of the loaf. Place loaf in center of oven rack and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Let loaf rest in pan for 10 minutes after removing from oven then remove loaf and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One loaf, apx. 12-14 slices (sliced approximately ½” thick)

Note: This quick bread is best made the day before it is needed. Let cool completely on wire rack then place in airtight plastic bag and slice the following day. Loaf freezes well either wholly or in slices.

 

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Date Bread
Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf