It's Friday again! What is better than to welcome the weekends with a freshly baked date and walnut loaf? My dear recently brought some really fantastic dates straight from the Holy Land and I decided to mix it up with some flour and what else, the result? Fragrant, moist, and dense bread filled with a nice mixture of dates, walnuts, chocolate chips and raisins. Doesn't that sound like a bite to take in?
What's better is that there is zero sugar (and low calories) in this loaf! I'm always sceptical about using stevia as a substitute for sugar, but oh boy, the little tablespoon of wonder is able to replace a whole cup of sugar, you know what that means?
Yup, that's right - guilt-free pleasures!
For those who are wondering, what is stevia? They are a natural sweetener from the chrysanthemum family and are 200 times sweeter than sugar! Yet, this is way healthier and provides an alternative for people who wants to enjoy sweet treats without compromising on the taste. Sounds pretty crazy yeah. Equal has recently launched Equal Gold, sugar-free and contains zero calories within each sachet. Because of its excellent heat stability and quick soluble formula, Equal Gold is the perfect choice to incorporate into your daily cooking and baking!
~
Difficulty: Easy
30 min (prep) + 30 min (bake)
Yields 1 5-in x 9-in loaf
Ingredients
150g dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
1.5 cup self-raising flour
5 packets of Equal Gold
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins, plumped (soak in hot water for 30 mins before use)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 oil
~
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Prepare a 5-in x 9-in loaf tin by buttering the sides and lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
3. Soak the dates with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes to soften.
4. Sift together the self-raising flour, Equal Gold, cinnamon, nutmeg powder, bicarbonate soda, and salt.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk, and oil. Form a well in the flour mixture and add in the egg and dates mixtures. Fold in the plumped raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
6. Pour into lined pan. Tap the loaf pan to release any large pockets of air bubbles. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing into serving size.
If you're looking to make your baked goods healthier, you may want to switch your sugars to stevia. Now available at all major supermarkets.
Equal Stevia
40 single stick sachets - $7.40
200 tablet dispenser pack - $12.35
Equal Gold
50 single stick sachets - $5.95
Here's to better health! Cheers! ;]