Banana Pecan Bread

The dough for this delicious banana pecan bread is shaped into a braid for a beautiful presentation.

Ingredients:

6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped dates or pitted dates, snipped
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
2 envelopes RapidRise Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or margarine, cut up
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
2 eggs

Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom or
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

Makes: 2 loaves

To make dough: In large bowl, combine 3-1/2 cups flour, dates, pecans, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat butter, milk and water until very warm (120 to 130°F); stir into flour mixture. Stir in banana, eggs and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces; roll each to 15-inch rope. Braid 3 ropes for each loaf, pinching ends to seal. Place on 2 greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

In small bowl, combine topping ingredients; sprinkle on loaves. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done, switching positions of pans halfway through baking. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving:
Serving size: 1 slice (1/24 of recipe)
calories 226; total fat 7g; saturated fat 2g;
cholesterol 25mg; sodium 131mg; total carbohydrate 38g; dietary fiber 2g; protein 5g