Date Nut Bread

This sweet bread was my first baking experiment way back in grad school. It is a very easy recipe to follow and the result is mouth watering. Even though it says "bread" it tastes like a fruit cake. The original recipe (from a Food and Wine magazine - I do not know the exact issue) has morphed into the version I am going to post here. It's almost fail-proof and most people love it. It tastes better the next day after it's been in the fridge. Goes well with vanilla ice cream :). Here's the recipe. Scroll down for some notes (on egg substitute etc.) and pics.

1 cup = 240 ml (approx), 1 tsp = 5 ml and 1 Tbsp = 15 ml = 3 tsp

Notes:

In this recipe I have increased the amount of dried fruits and reduced the sugar content. In my opinion the bread will not taste the same without dates. If you don't have raisins or cranberries, add any other dry fruits you have.
I also add a little bit orange zest or orange essence because I like the smell.
You can substitute oil for butter or even applesauce or banana puree or a mix.
I usually use 1 egg + 1Tbsp of ground flax seed mixed with with 3 Tbsp of warm water. The flax seed powder with warm water is an egg substitute. This makes the bread more dense and flavourful. If you use 2 eggs as per the recipe above, the bread will be lighter in texture.
I whisk the egg a little before using it. I guess I do this because I almost always use only one egg (the other is the flax seed substitute).
If your sugar is coarse (like the sugar I get in India) grind it before using.
You can also brown sugar instead of white. It's even better :).
The recipe tells you to soak the date mixture for 10 mins. I don't always follow this. I have used it as soon as I mixed it. Worked well.