All-American Date Bread
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (105º to 115ºF)
2 packages Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast — *see notes
1 3/4 cups warm milk (105º to 115ºF)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine — softened
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (5 1/2 to 6 cups)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 8-ounce package chopped dates or pitted dates — snipped
Cooking Instructions
Place warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add warm milk, sugar, salt and butter. Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour; mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups more all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Stir in whole wheat flour, cinnamon and enough additional all-purpose flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. On lightly floured surface, knead in dates. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each to 12 by 8-inch rectangle. Shape into loaves. Place in 2 greased 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes, or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.
My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:3)