Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch loaf pan with hanging parts of parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with oil spray. Set aside.

Place the 1 cup of medjool dates in a large glass bowl. Set aside.

Place the almond milk in a microwave-safe bowl, cover the bowl with a lid so the milk doesn't evaporate. Microwave for 1 minute on high. You can also warm the milk in a saucepan, over medium heat, using a lid on top of the saucepan.

Pour the warm almond milk on top of the dates and cover the bowl with a lid. Set it aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt if used.

Whisk the dry ingredients until evenly combined. Set aside.

On a chopping board, chop the walnuts finely, and add them to the bowl with the flour.

Chop the ½ cup of medjool dates into smaller bits. Their size doesn't really matter, but the smaller, the better they distribute among the bread crumbs. Add the chopped dates to the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Pour the dates and lukewarm milk into a high-speed blender, blend on medium-high speed until it forms a smooth, creamy date paste.

Pour the date paste into the bowl with the dry ingredients, making sure you scrape down the sides of the jug with a rubber spatula to get all of it.

Add oil and vanilla extract. Use a rubber spatula to stir all the ingredients together and form a thick, consistent bread batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the center rack of the oven for 35-45 minutes until dry on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. The bread won't rise much, that's normal. It's a moist date bread, a bit more compact than classic bread.

Let it cool down for 10 minutes in the pan, then lift the hanging parts of parchment paper to release the bread onto a cooling rack.

Let the bread cool for another 3 hours before slicing. If you slice it lukewarm, the bread is fragile and crumbly, so it's better to wait!