Sticky Date Bread.

Soft and fluffy date bread with a sticky caramel topping baked right into it. This sticky date bread is a lighter twist on the classic sticky date pudding that is bound to satisfy any sweet tooth.

What is sticky date bread

This is an indulgent dessert style bread that is flavored with dates and spices and then topped with a thick layer of gooey caramel.

Sticky date pudding has to be one of my favorite desserts! Fudgy date cake slathered with caramel sauce. Another favorite in our house is brunsviger. A Danish yeast style coffee cake with a thick caramel topping. Made in a similar style to a focaccia.

This sticky date bread brings together the best of both of those in one delicious bite.

You can serve your this bread as a decadent breakfast. It’s also a perfect afternoon tea treat and it even makes a delicious dessert.

Sticky date bread has two main components, the bread and the caramel

The bread – A yeast style dough that is baked into a delicate, soft crumbed bread. This bread has both dates and spices to give it that distinctive sticky date flavor. While still being light and fluffy as you would expect a freshly baked bread to be.

The caramel – Probably the easiest caramel that you will ever make! Butter, cream and sugar are heated an mixed until melted and smooth. Then the caramel is poured over the cooking bread and baked on top. Perfect soft and gooey caramel with very little fuss at all.

Do you like a firmer caramel for your topping?

If you would like your caramel to be firmer and more like a chewy toffee as opposed to the soft gooey style, you can you make a couple of easy tweaks to achieve this. To do this you will need to add your caramel earlier in the baking process. Prepare the caramel while the bread is on its final rise and pour it over the bread dough before placing it into the oven. Cook the bread for the full 25 minutes. You can also cook the bread a little bit longer than this (an extra 5 -10 minutes) to really thicken the caramel up.

Preparing your sticky date bread ahead of time.

Working with yeast does mean a large time commitment and the rising times can take longer than expected in cold weather. To get around this you can spread the prep time for the dough over 2 days. Prepare the dough up to the point of the final rise the day before. Placing the dough into the tray and spreading it out, ready to rise. At this point you can wrap the tray in cling film and place the tray in the fridge overnight (or for up to 24 hours). Remove the tray from the fridge an hour before you are ready to bake. This will allow the dough to return to room temperature and finish its final rise. Bake and serve your sticky date bread, following the remaining steps from here.

Storing any leftovers

This bread is best served warm but it will keep well for 2-3 of days after baking.

Store your sticky date bread in a cool dry place, wrapped firmly in cling film.

Sticky date bread will also freeze well. Simply wrap individual servings of the bread in cling film and place them into the freezer. Store frozen for up to 3 months.

To reheat your stored bread, place it onto a small microwave safe plate. Microwave for 30 seconds (60 – 90 seconds if heating from frozen)

Sticky Date Bread

Soft and fluffy date bread with a sticky caramel topping baked right into it. This sticky date bread is a lighter twist on the classic sticky date pudding that is bound to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Rest Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Servings

Course: Baking, Dessert

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Date mixture

• 150 g dates roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 50 g butter
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Dough

• 2/3 cups warm milk
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil for greasing the bowl/dough

Caramel

• 60 g butter
• 80 g cream
• 200 g brown sugar

Method

 

1. Place the dates, brown sugar, baking soda, butter and boiling water into a small but deep container like a measuring jug or mason jar. Leave the mixture for 30 minutes to allow the dates to fully soften.
2. Use an immersion blender to blend the date mixture until smooth.
3. Combine the yeast and warm milk into a large bowl. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
4. Add the blended date mixture to the activated yeast as well as 2 cups of your flour. Mix well for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and elastic.
5. Add in the remaining flour as well as the spices and salt. Mix until all of the ingredients are well combined.
6. Lightly grease a clean bowl with cooking oil and add your dough to the bowl giving the surface of the dough a light covering in oil too. Place your dough in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Once your dough has completed its first rise, remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean bench top. Use your hands to press the dough into a large rectangle shape.  Fold the rectangle into thirds lengthwise and then into thirds again the other way. Return your folded dough to your bowl and leave in a warm place to rise again for one hour or until doubled in size.
8. Line a large, deep baking dish (approx 22cm x 32 cm) with baking paper. Once your dough has risen transfer the dough into your prepared dish. Spread the dough out so that it covers the entire base of the tray evenly. Leave this in a warm place to rise for a final time for about 45 minutes.
9. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees, fan bake.
10. Once your dough has completed its final rise it is ready to bake. Use your finger tips to dimple the surface of the dough all over. Make sure to press the dough into the corners of the tray as well that way your caramel will not run off the edge when in cooks.
11. Place your bread into the oven and set a 10 minute timer.
12. While your bread begins to cook you can prepare the caramel topping. Place the butter, cream and sugar into a small saucepan. Heat on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside until your bread is ready for coating.
13. After your bread has baked for 10 minutes you can add your caramel and return it to the oven. Pour the caramel evenly over the surface of your sticky date bread, avoiding the edges as much as possible.
14. Return your bread to the oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the caramel is thick and the bread is baked through.
15. Once the bread is cooked, remove it from the oven. Allow the sticky date bread about 10 minutes to cool slightly and then use a serrated knife to slice and serve warm.

Notes

This bread is best served warm but it will keep well for 2-3 of days after baking.
Store your sticky date bread in a cool dry place, wrapped firmly in cling film.
Sticky date bread will also freeze well. Simply wrap individual servings of the bread in cling film and place them into the freezer. Store frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place your bread onto a small microwave safe place and microwave for 30 seconds (60 – 90 seconds if frozen)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my sticky date bread recipe. I hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself. Please feel free to add any questions or comments below. I am happy to help out wherever possible and I would love to hear how this recipe worked out for you.

Heres something else you may like to try:

Cinnamon rolls – with cream cheese frosting Orange & Cranberry Hot Cross Buns Mini Lemon Donuts – with cream cheese filling