Brimming with fruit and nuts, Fig & Date Nut Bread packs a lot of nutrition and flavor into every bite. Great for breakfast spread with cream cheese or as an afternoon snack with your favorite beverage.
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I gave a slice of this rich, moist bread to a friend to see if she liked it. She loved it and took a loaf home to share with her husband. It vanished quickly!
Mini fig & date nut bread loaves
Here is how to make fig & date nut quick bread
In a large bowl, combine the dates, figs, 4 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda.
Pour in 1 cup boiling water. Stir well and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
After the fig and date mixture has sat for 15 minutes, add 1/2 cup sugar, a 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 2 eggs and stir to beat together.
Combining the wet and dry ingredients for fig & date nut bread
Add the flour mixture to the fig and date mixture. Fold until just blended.
Note about pans
I do lots of baking, often doubling and sometimes tripling recipes. I have received food gifts myself gifted in pans. So I have accumulated a collection. Some are metal and some are ceramic. They all work very well and I don’t really have a preference.
The different loaf pans vary slightly is size and therefore, when I divide the batter, I might fill four pans resulting in four slightly smaller loaves. A slight adjustment of the baking time, baking until a toothpick inserted comes out clean ensures a perfect loaf.
So don’t worry if your pans are all a little different 🙂
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Fig & Date Nut Bread
Makes 1 loaf or 3 mini-loaves
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates
- 1 cup chopped dried figs
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour (or use the homemade cake release recipe below) a 1-lb. loaf pan or 3 mini-loaf pans.
In a large bowl, combine the dates, figs, butter and baking soda. Pour in the boiling water, stir well and let stand for 15 minutes.
Using a spoon or whisk, beat the sugar, walnuts and eggs into the date mixture; set aside.
In another bowl, stir and toss together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the date mixture and stir until just blended.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes for the regular size loaf pan or 35-40 minutes for the mini-loaf pans.
Transfer the pan(s) to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes; turn the loaf(s) out onto the rack and let cool completely.
Nutrition Facts
I ran this recipe through a recipe analyzer for a nutrition panel that you may find helpful.
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Very good bread. I made it exactly as written. Baked in my 9×5 pan so it was not as high. Baked for 44 minutes.
Hello, gonna try this but i only have salted butter. Do you thinks it’s a problem (i do love sweet and salty).
Thanks!
Hi Cath,
It would be perfectly fine to use salted butter.
Kindly, Lorraine
Hi Lorraine,
Thank you for this amazing recipe. The bread was divine.
I cut back the sugar a bit, did not affect the taste much since the figs & dates were so sweet.
Hello Iram,
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leave your comment! I like that you reduced the sugar a little. I will try that too. My fig tree is loaded with figs this year but none of them have ripened. This happened last year too. Not just with my tree but with two other friends as well.
Hope you have a great week ahead!
Kindly, Lorraine
This sounds great. Do you think I can sub fresh figs for the dried figs?
Hi Michael,
I am not sure about using fresh figs in this recipe. My concern is that fresh figs are somewhat juicy and more moist than dried one and might change the consistency of the batter.
I am sorry I don’t have a clear answer to your question. I’d love to hear back from you if you experiment with the recipe.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment!
Kindly, Lorraine
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hello Vanessa,
The fig & date nut bread will keep for a few days in the fridge. For longer storage, place bread, after completely cool, in a freezer-safe bag or container. Pop in the freezer where it will remain fresh for three months.
I often slice the bread before freezing so I can remove just a slice or two as I desire. Just right for breakfast or snacking.
Thank you for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying your weekend 🙂
Kindly, Lorraine
This looks so good! What a tasty and nutritious breakfast or snack to have on hand or to give!
Hello Vanessa,
The fig & date nut bread will keep for a few days in the fridge. For longer storage, place bread, after completely cool, in a freezer-safe bag or container. Pop in the freezer where it will remain fresh for three months.
I often slice the bread before freezing so I can remove just a slice or two as I desire. Just right for breakfast or snacking.
Thank you for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying your weekend 🙂
Kindly, Lorraine
This was a really lovely easy loaf to make… with trying not to go out with the Cornona virus going on I have enough dates but no figs.. I had some leftover currents and some Dried cranberries and put those in as a substitute….followed everyone else exactly as written. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe
Hi Lynn,
So happy that your substitutions worked so well! I have made the recipe with some variations of dried fruit as well with great results. Isn’t it a great recipe?
Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. Life has gotten a little crazy, hasn’t it. Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment and best wishes that you are your family stay safe and healthy!
Kindly, Lorraine
This is delicious and so easy to make. Received great reviews. I used light brown sugar and substitute golden raisins for half of the figs. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hello Marie,
Thank you so much for taking your time to comment! Happy to hear you like the fig and date nut bread. The substitutions you made sound great! 🙂
Kindly, Lorraine
Do you know how many ounces of figs and dates you use? I can’t wait to make this!
Hi Samantha,
I just checked and the package of Figs I have is 7-ounces and I’m thinking I used about a little more than half a bag. It says there are about 5 (1/4-cup) servings per package so one package will give you more than enough for the recipe. I don’t currently have dried dates but the package will give you a good idea.
Hope this is helpful!
Kindly, Lorraine
OMG, I just made this and LOVE it!! I couldn’t find figs at store and had dates on hand so used 2 cups of dates and inplace of 1/4 flour I used 1/4 oat bran cereal FABULOUS!!!!! Looks exactly like picture too!!
Hi Stefani,
Wow, your substitutions sound great! So happy to receive your comment 🙂
Thank you for stopping by. Wishes for a very Happy New Year!
Kindly, Lorraine
I’ve made this recipe several times with great results, and it is now my favorite loaf for a quick breakfast treat. It’s delicious sliced and toasted. I cut the sugar in half, still tastes great with no impact on how it bakes. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hello Teresa,
I am so happy to hear that you like this Fig & Date Nut Bread recipe. Awesome that you tried with less sugar with great results! Thank you for sharing this and leaving your comment!
Kindly, Lorraine
This looks amazing! I love dates and figs, and can’t wait to make this! However I am trying to use more natural ingredients in my cooking. Can I substitute honey for the sugar? If so, how much? Thanks in advance.
Hi Amanda,
I wasn’t sure about how it would work to substitute honey for the sugar in this recipe since honey is more liquid. I did a search and I found the following. See what you think and please let me know if you try it and how it turns out. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment!
Kindly, Lorraine
Tips for using honey:
source: http://www.homebaking.org/foreducators/askexperts/bakinghoney.html
You can use a one-for-one substitution of honey for sugar in most yeast breads and muffins, pancakes, or waffles
When substituting honey in recipes calling for 1 cup or more of sugar, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by ¼ cup for every 1 cup of honey
In cookie recipes using eggs or recipes with no other liquids, increase the flour by 2 tablespoons for each cup of honey
Add ½ teaspoon baking soda for every 1 cup of honey used
To avoid overbrowning, reduce the oven temperature by 25ºF if it is a recipe not designed for honey as an ingredient
Granulated sugar may play a critical role (creaming, holding air in a batter) in some recipes. If substituting with all honey is not successful, you may choose to substitute half the sugar with honey
Because of its high fructose content, honey is sweeter than sugar. If a product is too sweet with a one-for-one substitution, reduce the amount of honey by using ½ to ¾ as much honey as white sugar in the recipe
The fig and date bread is lovely. I’ll be making it for a diabetic. Do you have any Nutritional information? I am concerned about the sugar content. Thank you.
Hi Angela,
I was able to put this recipe for the Fig & Date Nut Bread through a recipe analyzer got a nutrition panel that I put on this post. I hope this is helpful to you and other readers. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment.
Kindly, Lorraine
Lorraine, I have been wanting to make this recipe Fig & Date Nut bread for quite awhile. Today I finally made this, used individual pans. This by far is the best bread I have made, so moist and tasteful. I live in a retirement community so I took some down to the residence watching TV, very few cook , let alone bake. They loved it. I will be making this during the holidays and in between.
Thank you
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
How good to hear that you and the folks in your community enjoyed the Fig & Date Nut Bread! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit again to leave your comment! The breads do freeze well when wrapped securely, so you might find it helpful during your holiday baking.
Kindly, Lorraine
Reading the recipe made my tastebuds crying for a taste on the spot so I got everything needed and baked one just before supper. The aroma in my kitchen while it was cooking was divine. We ate some for desert while it was still warm and it surpassed our expectations. I understand how someone could have eaten a whole one in one sitting. I must confess we ate more than one slice each ourselves.
Hello Joan,
Thank you so much for stopping by to leave your comment! Super happy to hear that the fig and date nut bread was so well received and enjoyed 🙂 It freezes really well too and especially nice to have on hand when friends stop by or just when you are in the mood for a slice.
Hope you have a great week!
Kindly, Lorraine
Do you think I could make with gluten free flour
Hi Nancy,
I am not familiar with using gluten free flour but I found this in a quick search: Gluten, a protein found in wheat flour, is what gives structure to baked goods. It gives breads, muffins, and cakes their soft spongy texture. To replace gluten, you’ll need to use other thickeners like xanthan gum or guar gum in your baking.
Here is the link to more information: http://dish.allrecipes.com/how-to-use-gluten-free-flour/
Hope this is helpful to you.
Kindly, Lorraine
Any substitute for eggs please??
Hello Deepali,
I have only made the recipe using eggs but I did a quick internet search and found this site that might be helpful to you: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes
Hope this answers your question.
Kindly, Lorraine
I don’t see a print button to get a nice printed copy?
Hi Becky,
I went back and updated the post to include a PRINT RECIPE button. Hope this is helpful for you 🙂
Kindly, Lorraine
Thank you!
Can you use fresh figs, I have a fig tree so would like to use some on this recipe?
Hello Ann,
I did a little research and I am not sure you would get satisfactory results by substituting fresh figs for the dried. There is a big difference in the moisture content as well as the texture. I don’t really know about adding the amount either both for getting the right wet-to-dry proportions and also the flavor since the dried fruit has a lot of concentrated depth of flavor.
Fresh figs are delicious and it is so great that you have your own fig tree.
Hope this is helpful to you.
Kindly, Lorraine
Delicious! Only change was to coarsely chop the fruit and I used demerara sugar instead of white.
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment! I like your suggestions too. I am unfamiliar with demerara but will check it out to learn more.
Kindly, Lorraine
I just made this, and liked it very much. It took the full hour to bake. I did add 1 tablspoon of flour, because I live at a high altitude, and used a 9×5″ loaf pan.
Hello Ana Luisa,
Thank you for visiting and leaving your comment. Happy to hear you like the Fig & Date Nut Bread. Thanks for the high altitude suggestions – this will be helpful for others.
Kindly, Lorraine
I made this bread and ended up eating the ENTIRE LOAF by MYSELF in ONE. DAY. It was seriously that good. It was moist and perfectly flavored and everything you’d want in a sweet bread. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! This one’s a keeper for sure.
Oh, Lauren, I am so happy to receive your comment and read you liked the fig and date nut bread! Thanks a bunch to visiting and letting me know!
Kindly, Lorraine
So glad to see that someone still cooks with figs and dates. I just bought some this week. Wish I had a piece right now for breakfast.
Yummy….I love bread…too well!! This sounds so good!
Wow! Lorraine, Your photography of the sweet bread is so beautiful! No wonder it vanished quickly :)Thanks for the detailed pictures 🙂
Oh, how fun to come across your recipe and gorgeous photos! My mother made this bread every year at Christmas time, for quite a few years. I'm so happy that I have her recipe and I've made it often, too. Makes great gifts, especially the mini-loaves, and everyone always loved it! Mother's recipe is just a bit different than yours, but basically the same one! Thanks for fun memories…and I may have to bake some of this way before Christmas time! 🙂
That looks delicious.
This looks wonderful!
I would love this. I remember date nut bread in a can from childhood! Keeping you close in my heart and prayers.
This bread looks so yummy and your photography is amazing! It must take you a long time to bake since you stop and take a lot of pictures, but I am GRATEFUL!! 🙂
Blessings~