Bread Machine Date Nut Bread

This is bread machine baking at its laziest and most rewarding. Toss the ingredients into the pan, hit start, and walk away. A few hours later you have a yeasted loaf studded with sweet dates and crunchy walnuts that slices like proper bakery bread.

Bread flour is the right choice here, not all-purpose. Its higher protein develops more gluten, giving the loaf the structure it needs to hold up under the weight of all the dates and nuts. All-purpose flour would collapse into something dense and gummy.

The powdered milk is a small but important detail. It adds richness and tenderness to the crumb while improving browning. Don’t substitute liquid milk without reducing the water, or the dough will be too wet.

Add the dates and nuts at the mix-in beep, usually 15 to 20 minutes into the cycle. If your machine doesn’t have one, add them right at the start and accept that they may break up slightly during kneading.

Kitchen Tips

• Toss the dates in a tablespoon of flour before adding. This keeps them from clumping into a single sticky mass.
• Use Medjool dates for the deepest caramel sweetness, or Deglet Noor for a firmer, less sticky option.
• Set the bread machine to a light or medium crust setting. Dark crust will scorch the sugars from the dates.
• Cool the loaf completely on a wire rack before slicing. Hot bread tears under the knife and gums up.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans, hazelnuts, or pistachios.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a spiced loaf.
• Stir in ½ cup raisins along with the dates for extra fruity sweetness.