Apple, Date, Pecan loaf

This is my Mum's Date loaf recipe - just one of the delicious treats you would find in her cake tins..

2 cups dates
2 level tspns baking soda
2 cups boiling water
2 tblspns butter
1 1/4 cups sugar

3 heaped cups flour
2 tspns baking powder

Chop the dates & pour over 2 cups boiling water, add baking soda, butter & sugar.

Mix well

Add flour & baking pwder (already mixed)

Bake 45 mins at 350 - Makes 2 loafs

This is best left a few days before eating if you can wait that long LOL I like it spread with a healthy butter substitute..

I changed the ingredients a little & I admit I have a dandy wee electric machine to chop my fruits & nuts but here's what I did..

I added dried apples & used about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chopped apple - this was too soft to use in my nifty chopper so used a knife & the old fashioned chopping board method. I put them on the stove with a little water - enough so that the apple absorbed the water & became nice & plump & there was no water left.

I also added about a cup of finely chopped pecans.

I replaced the butter with olive oil

I only used 2/3 cup of sugar

I used whole wheat flour not white

What you get is a healthy treat loaded with MUFAs

I started making my own bread again earlier this year & found a recipe on line for making Sourdough & my 'bug' has been going for 7 or 8 months now - it took me a couple of trys to get it going right so don't be discouraged if your first attempt doesn't work, just roll up your sleeves & try again..

I use the basic white - for bread- flour but use 1/2 white & 1/2 rye flour for my bread & add NO sugar & only 1 tspn of salt & of course I use olive oil instead of butter. I also sprout about a half a cup of either wheat berries or rye berries to add at the same time I add the sourdough mix to the flour. I start the sprouts a couple of days before I do my bread making so that they are just at the soft stage where the leaves are forming & YUMMMMMM..

Joe snapped a pic the other day while I was kneading my bread so I'll share it with you.