The Meredith Inn burned down more than 60 years ago but its recipes live on. This particular recipe originally appeared in Adventures in Good Cooking, published in 1939. Grandma had a very similar recipe (she called it a receipt) for “Date and Nut Bread.” The only real difference is the orange juice/rind and Grandma’s recipe had no added fat while the Inn used 2 tablespoons butter.
I’ve never made a quick bread that didn’t use oil, margarine or butter so I opted to follow the Inn’s recipe, including using fresh juice and rind from the oranges. The bread came out great! It tastes like something I remember eating as a child while visiting older family friends or relatives. I recall eating it with cream cheese as a topping, but it’s terrific plain.
If you are craving something that will remind you of times past and have the urge to fire up your oven, give this delicious recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed!
