Banana Date Bread
Jan. 23rd, 2021 02:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adrian_turtle posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
cookbook_challengeThis is a recipe from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin. I've had the cookbook for 29 years, but not gotten around to making this recipe. "Applesauce Oatmeal Bread," is on page 56, and that's very good, easy to make, and doesn't require a person to shop for bananas. Somehow I never got around to the Banana Date Bread on page 58, as I'm not that fond of dates, and they're a pain to work with. But I had some left over in the pantry, and some mashed banana in the freezer, so here we go.
Lemlin's recipe, as written
Prepare 9x5" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
0.25 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
0.25 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
0.5 cup vegetable oil
0.5 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flours, leavening, spices in large bowl. Stir in dates and walnuts.
In medium bowl, beat oil and honey together until smooth. Beat in other ingredients.
Add wet to dry, stir until evenly moistened, scrape into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes until knife in center comes out clean.
Changes to original recipe
I used 2 cups of all-purpose flour, as I haven't had whole wheat since well before the pandemic. And I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon instead of the mixed spice. After starting, I realized I only had 0.75 cup of chopped dates. Rather than scaling the recipe down and trying to measure out half an egg, I filled the rest of the measuring cup with raisins. I was also a bit short on walnuts, and filled the rest of the measuring cup with hazelnuts (which I toasted, because raw hazelnuts are boring. Then I toasted the walnuts while I had the pan out.)
I baked it for 90 minutes at 375F,* covering with foil for the last 45 minutes to protect the top from burning. The center was still not quite done, so 100 minutes would probably have been better, but I was supposed to be on a zoom call and not checking the oven every 5 minutes.
Results
This was pretty bad. The ends were cooked through, and slices from the middle would improve with toasting, but the flavor isn't good enough to bother. Maybe it would work better with whole wheat flour. Or with all dates instead of a mix of dates and raisins. Or all walnuts, and leaving them raw. Some of it probably comes down to the fact that it's based on an ingredient I don't like. If I have leftover dates next spring, I should give them away or swap them for something I'm more likely to enjoy.
*This oven runs about 10 degrees low, and Lemlin's suggested temperatures were a bit low with my previous ovens. (Yikes. I've used the cookbook in 6 kitchens, not counting visits to my girlfriend.) So I set the dial for 375 and was probably cooking at 360-365.
Lemlin's recipe, as written
Prepare 9x5" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
0.25 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
0.25 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
0.5 cup vegetable oil
0.5 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flours, leavening, spices in large bowl. Stir in dates and walnuts.
In medium bowl, beat oil and honey together until smooth. Beat in other ingredients.
Add wet to dry, stir until evenly moistened, scrape into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes until knife in center comes out clean.
Changes to original recipe
I used 2 cups of all-purpose flour, as I haven't had whole wheat since well before the pandemic. And I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon instead of the mixed spice. After starting, I realized I only had 0.75 cup of chopped dates. Rather than scaling the recipe down and trying to measure out half an egg, I filled the rest of the measuring cup with raisins. I was also a bit short on walnuts, and filled the rest of the measuring cup with hazelnuts (which I toasted, because raw hazelnuts are boring. Then I toasted the walnuts while I had the pan out.)
I baked it for 90 minutes at 375F,* covering with foil for the last 45 minutes to protect the top from burning. The center was still not quite done, so 100 minutes would probably have been better, but I was supposed to be on a zoom call and not checking the oven every 5 minutes.
Results
This was pretty bad. The ends were cooked through, and slices from the middle would improve with toasting, but the flavor isn't good enough to bother. Maybe it would work better with whole wheat flour. Or with all dates instead of a mix of dates and raisins. Or all walnuts, and leaving them raw. Some of it probably comes down to the fact that it's based on an ingredient I don't like. If I have leftover dates next spring, I should give them away or swap them for something I'm more likely to enjoy.
*This oven runs about 10 degrees low, and Lemlin's suggested temperatures were a bit low with my previous ovens. (Yikes. I've used the cookbook in 6 kitchens, not counting visits to my girlfriend.) So I set the dial for 375 and was probably cooking at 360-365.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-23 08:55 pm (UTC)This actually reminds me a lot of a bundt cake I used to do for Christmas and I might like how this turns out.
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Date: 2021-01-24 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-23 09:40 pm (UTC):/
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Date: 2021-01-24 02:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 01:49 pm (UTC)