Orange Bread

No picture= use your imagination to envision how delicious this bread is. Such a nice twist from the traditional banana bread, and the flavor of oranges is so refreshing. I made this into 3 mini loaves so I could give away some of them, but they would also make terrific muffins. I can't wait to make these again!

Orange Bread
Source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp orange zest (or more for more intense orange flavor)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped (I omitted)

Optional Glaze
1 teaspoon lemon juice*
1 teaspoon orange juice
1/3 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)

*If you happen to have Seville oranges, or sour oranges, use this juice instead of the lemon juice.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan. To make it easier to remove the loaf from the pan, you may want to lay down a wide strip of parchment paper, along the length of the bottom of the loaf pan, and up the narrow sides. Butter this as well.

2. Beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on high in an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated after each addition. Beat in the orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

4. Add the yogurt and dry ingredients by thirds, starting with the yogurt, alternating the additions. Beat only until just incorporated. Mix in the golden raisins.
5. Immediately pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place in middle rack of 350°F oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes*, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and cool for another 10 to 15 minutes.

7. While loaf is cooling, prepare optional glaze if using. Whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, and powdered sugar until smooth and there are no lumps. Place loaf on a serving plate. Use a toothpick or skinny skewer to poke holes in the top of the loaf and drizzle the glaze over the loaf.
*If you are using a 5x9 loaf pan, the loaf will be done earlier. Check at 40 minutes. You can use this recipe for muffins, in which case the cooking time should be 20-25 minutes.

Banana Bread

Ah, long time no blog! Things have been so busy lately, I have not even had time to make dinner at night. Andy has gotten pretty good at fending for himself, but now that I am ALL DONE with graduate school classes I will have more time for the kitchen.

I was supposed to have a client today at 1 but she never showed, so I decided to spend the rest of my afternoon baking. We had some banana's calling my name from the freezer so I started with Banana Bread. I wanted to keep some at home and still be able to bring some to work, so I made 3 small loaves instead of one large one.

My mom has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember, and I love it because it's so simple (I loathe banana bread with nuts added.) The cooking time ended up to be about the same for the mini-loaves, and I added mini chocolate chips just for fun.

Banana Bread

source: my mother

Ingredients

3-4 small bananas

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

Blend all ingredients through baking soda until smooth. Add 2 cups flour, mix by hand. Pour in greased bread pan.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes- 1 hour

Enjoy!