Cherry Date Nut Bread is a no yeast, quick bread that is an adaptation of an adapted muffin recipe from my brother-in-law. This bread is full of all sorts of goodies like dried cherries, dates, bananas, walnuts and rolled oats and is virtually fat free. Even with no butter or oil, this cherry date nut bread is quite moist. It is a little heavy which is to be expected with all of the scrumptious ingredients, but that’s o.k., because it doesn’t take much to satisfy your hunger. With the recipe below, you can make two medium sized loaves or four mini loaves of quick bread or ~18 small muffins. If you think that’s more than you need, it freezes very well!
The original recipe is this Morning Glory Muffins recipe on My Recipes. My BIL adapted the recipe by replacing the pineapple with dried cherries which was genius! Then I adapted his recipe into this quick bread recipe.
A Fat Free Quick Bread
A hearty quick bread packed full of fruits and nuts and other healthy ingredients. Make as a quick bread or make as muffins. For two medium sized loaves, use two 8.5 x 4.5 bread pans.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 1/2 cup sifted whole wheat flour*
- 1/2 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour*
- 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup regular rolled oats
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed*
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt*
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chopped dates*
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup dried cherries*
- 1 Tbsp. coarsely ground flax seed
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spray 2 medium or 4 small bread pans with cooking spray.
Combine all of the dry ingredients into one large bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the wet ingredients (banana, yogurt, egg).
In a small bowl, combine the dried fruit and nuts. Toss together to distribute.
Make a hole in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix together. Once thoroughly mixed, fold in the fruit and nuts.
Divide the batter between the two bread pans.
Bake at 350°F for 35 – 45 minutes* or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a loaf. Set on a rack for 10 minutes to cool, before removing from the pans.
Flours – If you don’t have both whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry, then substitute one for another and use either 1 cup whole wheat or 1 cup whole wheat pastry. The pastry flour takes a little weight out of the bread.
Powder Flax Seed – The original recipe calls for bran, so your choice.
Yogurt – It doesn’t matter what yogurt you use. I’ve used whole milk yogurt, plain and vanilla and a mix of the two. So use what you have.
Size of bread pans – Because of the weight of this bread, I recommend making either two medium sized loaves, 4 small loaves and 18 small muffins. If you tried to make one large loaf, it probably would sink in the middle and not rise.
Bake time – If you live below 5000 feet in elevation, test for doneness after 35 – 40 minutes. I live a mile high so it takes 45 minutes to cook these breads through.
Dates – Dates are a real pain to chop, so to make this process somewhat painless, I use 1 – 2 tablespoons of the AP flour and sprinkle it on the cutting board and over the dates, then start chopping. As I chop, I sprinkle a little more to the cut dates. This method keeps them from sticking so much to each other and the knife. Add any remaining flour back into the batter.
Date Substitute – The last time I made this I didn’t have dates, so I substitute 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup dried pineapple. It was excellent. This might become a permanent substitution.
Dried Cherries – If you cherries are old and dried up, rehydrate them in a little water before adding to the bread. Drain and discard the water. Do NOT chop the cherries! Leave them whole for the best taste experience.
Freezing – This freezes very well. What I do is cut a loaf into 1 inch slices, wrap with plastic wrap, bag the wrapped slices in a freezer bag, and freeze. When I want a piece for our afternoon tea, I’ll remove one slice, let it thaw or defrost in the microwave, cut in half and serve.
You’re probably wondering why I just didn’t make muffins. Well, first of all I don’t have a muffin pan and secondly, I just really, really like quick breads. Here are three of my favorites, now joined by the a fourth (Cherry Date Nut Bread).
I think I’ve got everything to make this yummy looking bread! And I think “heavy” breads are the most flavorful! One of my least favorite prep tasks is chopping dates, so I’m loving your flour tip. 🙂 Awesome recipe MJ! Pinning…
Thanks so much Tamara! You’re not going to hate chopping dates anymore with the little flour trick. It’s not perfect, but it’s SO much better! I hope you enjoy the bread.
What a neat trick to use flour to cut the dates (very clever!). I just love the look of this loaf MJ… all the goodness of the nuts, seeds and fruit poking through (are you familiar with My New Roots? Your loaf immediately reminded me of her ‘life changing bread’ – that gorgeous rustic quality). I can see why you would love this quick bread.
Thanks Kelly!! Yep, I developed that trick out of pure frustration! 🙂 The first time I made this and starting chopping all those dates, I got through a couple of dates and said “There has to be a better way!” The flour definitely did the trick.
No, I have not heard of My New Roots, but I looked her up and checked out her Life Changing bread. WOW, that looks delicious and SO nutty!! I’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing it with me.
Fruity delicious! Yummy
Thanks!
Such a wonderful version of banana bread! I also adore sour dried cherries, they are flavor bombs! A big fat slice of the Cherry Date Nut Bread would brighten this rainy cold morning.
Thanks so much Deb! I never thought of it being a banana bread because there is so much else there, but makes sense.
This bread recipe is completely stacked with fruit and nuts and we totally love that! We would certainly love a slice right now with our afternoon cuppa! Just pinned!
Thanks Bobbi! It is totally stacked and so good! 🙂
I didn’t do any quick bread baking this winter, MJ, but I surely would have had I seen this recipe. Dates and cherries are a combo that I’d love to taste. I’m saving this one. Thanks!
Thanks John! I don’t do a lot of baking, especially sweets, but we do love having quick breads around for breakfast and especially, our afternoon tea. 🙂 This has become one of our favorites.
Amazing that it is completely fat-free and what a lovely combination of ingredients! sounds and looks delicious!
Miriam x
Thanks Mariam! When you bite into it it doesn’t feel like it’s fat free because it’s so moist. It’s definitely a keeper.
Love dried cherries…better than raisins or dried cranberries. I can’t wait to give this bread a try.
Thanks Karen! I agree with you on the dried cherries. Wish they were easier to find.
MJ, what a gorgeous bread! I would love to taste it and guess, with every bite, what exactly it contains. I love such moist breads with dried fruits or seeds… They are fantastic with fresh goat cheese (or any fresh cheese really).
I have recently discovered an Amazon seller from Germany who sells most amazing dried sour cherries… I’m an addict! I buy them by 1 kg bags! I’m sure they would perfectly fit here too.
Thanks Sissi! What’s nice about this bread is that every bite is different. There is so much packed into it, that you do have to take several bites to get it all. I love that! Would never have thought about serving it with goat cheese. Next time I have some, I’ll try that. Sounds quite interesting.
OK, now you have me heading over to Amazon. Costco no longer carries dried tart cherries, so I’ve been looking for another source. Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully, they sell in the U.S.
That is one delicious and jammed packed quick bread, without as much guilt.Love cherries.
Thanks Evelyn! I know…no fat! Who would have thought. 🙂
My husband would love this bread. He grew up in Michigan where they love cherries like New Mexicans love chile. We always have dried cherries on hand so I will have to make a loaf.
Thanks Jan! I didn’t grow up in Michigan, but, like your husband, I love dried cherries, so this was a great bread for me. 🙂
Perfect for our Easter breakfast !Thank you so much !
You are most welcome and yes, this would make a nice Easter breakfast.
Looks like a perfect quick bread as it packs with goodness!
Thanks Angie!
Great looking loaf … similar to fruit cake (which I love) as an early commenter said.
Thanks A_Boleyn! Yes, it “looks” like fruit cake, but totally different in flavor.
Would it be possible to use applesauce instead of mashed banana?
I don’t see why not. I’ve made that substitute in waffles. However, some applesauces can be quite watery, so you might should drain it a little or add 1 – 2 Tbsp. flour to compensate for the extra liquid.
BTW – Please let me know if the applesauce works. If it does, I’ll add it to the Kitchen Notes as a substitution for banana. Thanks!
I agree with Debra — this does look rather like fruit cake! Except better. 🙂 This is just loaded with flavor — really nice job with this. Thanks!
Thanks John! Debra is right. Didn’t see that until she mentioned it.
Just wow. Those slices almost look like a fruit cake. I had to look up that muffin recipe as well. Beautiful adaptation of an adapted recipe!
Thanks Debra! Now that you mention it, it does look like fruit cake. 🙂 No candied fruits…promise.