Recipe

Banana Walnut Soda Bread
with Date Butter

This banana walnut soda bread, made with wheat and all-purpose flours, toasted walnuts,
and ripe bananas, is served with a dreamy date butter–a delicious and wholesome treat,
perfect for any time of day! The bread gets its name from its leavening agent, baking soda,
which is used instead of yeast. Cooking in a Dutch oven helps to achieve a crusty loaf.

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Banana Walnut Soda Bread:
● 2 cups Wheat flour
● 2 cups All purpose flour
● 1 tsp Salt
● 1 tsp Baking soda
● 3⁄4 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
● 2 ripe Bananas
● 1 1⁄4 cups Buttermilk
● 2 tablespoons honey

For the Date Butter:
● 8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened butter (or sub for buttery spread or coconut oil)
● 4 pitted Medjool dates
● pinch of cinnamon
● pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Prepare pan:
Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a piece of parchment paper in the
bottom of a dutch oven or cast iron skillet

2. Mix dry ingredients:
Combine the flours, salt, baking soda, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl and
whisk to combine.

3. Mix wet ingredients:
Mash the ripe bananas in another mixing bowl and stir in the buttermilk and
honey until combined. Fold the buttermilk and banana mixture into the dry
ingredients with a rubber spatula until the flour is fully hydrated. Stop folding
as soon as the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured
surface and shape into a ball. Try not to overwork the dough, or it might
become tough
4. Make dough:
Scrape the dough into the prepared dutch oven and smooth the top slightly if
necessary. Score the ball of dough into quarters with a knife.
5. Bake:
Cover the dutch oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the lid and
continue baking for about 15 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal
temperature of 190°F. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack
for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

6. Make the Date Butter:

In a small food processor, blitz the softened butter, Medjool dates, cinnamon,
and salt until smooth. Chill until ready to use—it’ll keep for up to a week.