So, my buddy Lionel is a dessert man but he prefers the use of chocolate to be limited; he feels it’s overused in desserts, and he has a point.
And it was a chocolate orange bread from Nigella Lawson, that got me thinking about an orange loaf, but I didn’t want a pound cake, or a very sweet bread either. After three different tries, all of which where fantastic, but they weren’t quite what I was after. I made some more revisions, and today it was just what I wanted.
Fucking. Perfect.
I think the recipe needs another test or two, but I’m going to share the recipe and see if any of you want to test it with me.
Orange Loaf for Lionel
Yield 1 loaf (9x5in loaf pan)
Time 75-80 minutes (20 active)
This bakes on the middle rack of the oven, you may need some headroom, raise or remove any shelf over it.
Preheat oven to 325F
Ingredients:
2 medium 0ranges (I used “Cara Cara” a local variety available now)
5 0unces butter (10 tablespoons) Plus more for greasing
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached pastry flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Zest oranges, set zest aside then juice both oranges, you’ll want about 2/3 cup orange juice total, set juice aside as well.
Grease the loaf pan with butter and if you have parchment paper line it lengthwise with overhang to lift bread from pan; if you don’t have parchment, grease it better!
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, syrup, honey and vanilla. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat to incorporate.
Separately, in a medium bowl add the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder and whisk to incorporate.
Add the juice and zest to the wet ingredients, then the dry. Beat slowly to incorporate all ingredients, then beat well for a minute (hand/stand mixer).
Spread batter into the greased/lined pan, try to smooth it out, but it will be sticky.
Put in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for 50-60 minutes. I first checked after 4o minutes, and it was still quite wet when I prodded a skewer into it. I checked again after 50, and it still needed another 5-8 minutes.
{herein lays untested but good guidance guess… If you’ve got a probe thermometer definitely pull before it hits 210F. Target 200 to 205F. A little under 200F might work too.}
Cool in pan (on a rack if you’ve got one) for 15 minutes. then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.
To serve: slice carefully with a bread knife. It has a good crust, but a delicate texture. If you’ve got any sort of fruit or cream you want to serve it with, go for it. If you make this when strawberries are in season, the texture is reminiscent of shortcake.
In Food/Baking Porn, this is called: The Crumb Shot.
Happy Baking!
Lionel, I think this is easy enough for you to manage. Enjoy your chocolate free bliss.
