“This date loaf is inspired by a multitude of things,” says chef Noor Murad. “The idea landed while eating a Welsh bara brith, similar to an English tea loaf, where dried fruit is soaked in tea to create a bread loaf that’s then sliced and slathered in butter. I knew then that this would be the perfect template for a cardamom date cake, which I had wanted to include in [cookbook] Lugma somehow.
“Then there’s the topping, which sets this loaf apart in a very lovely way. The combination of fennel, sesame and nigella seeds is often sprinkled onto khobez hamar, a type of date-based flatbread made in Bahrain but perfected in Al-Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia. This really is a special loaf, so easy to make and one that improves with time, so make it a day before you want to serve it if you can. I like to have it drizzled with tahini and date molasses, which is quite rich, so feel free to just spread it with lashings of salted butter.”
