Tropical Date Nut Bread is loaded with oranges, cinnamon, dates, nuts and rum! The smell of the tropics starts right here in the kitchen!
Spiced Nut Bread
When family is home for the holidays, or I am simply all by myself in the Autumn months, I love the smell of warming spices baked in breads, hot out of the oven.
The warm spices of cinnamon, cloves with orange zest, when warmed, smell like every holiday film I’ve ever seen. Comfort. Cozy. Home.
These spices just smell like this when they are baking inside of bread.
This spiced tropical date nut bread, made with yeast, and is easy to make by hand and so worth the hour wait time for it to rise. Warm it at breakfast and smell the memories!
Dates – The Natural Sweetener
Having grown up in a Mediterranean home, dates, figs and apricots are the primary fruits, both fresh and dried, our family cooked with, whether sweet or savory.
Yes, savory, as you will enjoy in my Lamb and Apricot Tajine!
In desserts or sweet breads, dates bring an almost caramel flavor to the pastries or desserts.
Add them to savory dishes, like my favorite Moroccan Rice with Dried Fruits and the dish becomes both sweet and savory without the addition of processed sugar.
Dates have the most perfect natural sugar content in them which I often replace processed sugar for dates in many of my sweet dishes.
For an amazing Healthy Chocolate Date Nut Candy that has only dates, nuts and raw cacao, you must try this no-bake recipe, which whisks together quickly.
What Makes This Bread Tropical?
Speaking of sugar… not all sugar is highly processed, not if you live on a tropical island!
The best rum and raw sugar comes from Barbados and that is what makes this bread tropical!
The hub was visiting family members in Barbados. Being British, of course Ancestry tests the family took, found their roots back in Barbados.
So, one day all of his family (never having met before), met up in Barbados!
The rum and raw sugar he brought me back is what inspired this tropical tasting, date and nut bread.
I will admit though, that the yogurt in the recipe still keeps it grounded as my very own Mediterranean recipe creation!
How To Make Tropical Date Nut Bread
If you don’t mind waiting an hour for this bread dough to rise, you will have made for yourself the finest date nut bread you will ever eat!
First, I wanted to soften the dried dates and infuse a little rum into them. Simply chop the dates into small pieces and let them soak in a little rum.
Then, you mix the yeast, sugar and water together to proof the yeast for a few minutes. Once the yeast shows signs of life, simply whisk in the remaining ingredients until the dough is no longer sticky, cover and let rise for an hour.
Finally, divide the dough into loaf pans, bake and finish with a rum/sugar drizzle and serve.
Ingredients Needed
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Water
- Fresh Orange juice and zest
- Plain yogurt
- Dates
- Nuts – your choice
- Cinnamon
- Cloves Salt
- Flour
- Egg
- Coarse or raw sugar
- Rum
- Powdered sugar
Equipment Needed
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Citrus press and zester
- Loaf pans
- Basting brush
- Oven
Tropical Date Nut Bread
Ingredients
- Yeast – 2 tsp
- Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Water – 3/4 cup
- Fresh Orange juice – ½ cup (2 oranges)
- Orange zest – 1 tbsp
- Plain Yogurt – ¾ cup
- Dates – 1 cup, pitted and chopped, soaked in rum
- Nuts – ½ cup, chopped
- Cinnamon – 1 tbsp
- Cloves – ¼ tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Flour – 3 to 4 cups
- Egg wash – 1 egg and 1 tsp water, mixed
- Coarse sugar – 1 tbsp (optional)
- – (optional)
- Rum – 1 tablespoon, extra for soaking dates
- Powdered sugar – 1 tablespoon
- Orange zest – ½ teaspoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a large bowl mix the yeast, 1/2 cup of sugar and water. Allow to sit 5-minutes to proof.
- Once the yeast proofs (foams), mix in all remaining ingredients except the flour. Mix well.
- Slowly add 1 cup of flour at a time until dough is no longer sticky. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place for about an hour until the dough doubles in size.
- Punch down. Place in one large bread pan or two medium size.
- Brush egg wash across top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Place in oven and bake until the top is golden and firm to the touch, about 20 – 30 minutes.
- Mix and brush glaze over hot bread, if desired
Nutrition
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.