Chocolate Date Loaf II

For chocolate lovers! This is a great bread - moist and rich. My mom served it at my bridal shower, and I now love making it for friends at the holidays.

Step: 1

Place dates in a small bowl with boiling water and baking soda. Let stand until cooled. Melt chocolate chips with margarine in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave. Stir frequently until smooth.

Step: 2

In a medium bowl, beat egg and stir in sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate and date mixtures. Combine the flour and baking powder, and stir into the date mixture until just blended. Scrape into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Let stand for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step: 3

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Wrap in aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight, as the loaf will cut better on the second day.

Per Serving: 224 calories; protein 3.2g; carbohydrates 38.3g; fat 7.5g; cholesterol 15.5mg; sodium 332.1mg.

The quality of the flour could make a real deal to your bread. Different makers do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re make wholemeal bread , which doesn’t always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be done in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can work it yesterday , then finish it off the next day.