Date-Nut-Bran Bread

This bread is so delicious (and wholesome!) that I often bake it in a Bundt pan and serve it as a dessert, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. 1 pound pitted dates, chopped 2 cups boiling water 1-teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour 1-teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1-cup whole bran 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

This recipe was provided courtesy of Stoeger Publishing Company from the Game Cookbook.  Call 1 887 GUN BOOK to order the complete cookbook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease well and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates and allow to cool. When cool, stir in the vanilla and the salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until thick and very light, about 10 minutes with an electric beater. Gradually beat in the sugar until mixture is glossy and
makes a rope when dropped from the beaters, much like the way you’d prepare a sponge cake.

Sift together the whole-wheat flour, soda and baking powder. Add half of it to the egg mixture with half of the date mixture (and its liquid) and all of the white flour; stir until well blended. Then stir in the balance of the wheat flour and the date mixture. Fold in the whole bran and the nuts and pour into the prepared tube pan.

Bake about 1 hour or until done. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. (One time I made this and forgot to add the bran— it was just as good as with it!)