It was 4 degrees outside last weekend. I didn't want to leave the house, not even to get a gallon of milk at the grocery store 5 blocks away. But I did want to bake.
I've been buying oranges and lemons like they are going extinct. They just look so bright and fresh in a world covered in white snow and gray ice. Plus, I remember my mom peeling oranges for us every winter morning when I was a kid. She insisted we needed to "get our Vitamin C." Gosh, I miss those cozy mornings on the farm.
I turned to my Iowa State Fair Cookbook to find a recipe using my favorite citrus fruits. I thought this orange honey bread looked perfect for a cold winter day. It calls for a minimum of ingredients, all of which I already had in my pantry or fridge. And instead of sugar, the bread is sweetened with honey. I've been wanting to bake more with honey, so I decided to give this recipe a try.
The bread looks beautiful. But it wasn't all that I was hoping it would be. The orange flavor was a little too subtle, and the honey flavor a bit too strong for my taste. Yet it's still a very pretty quick bread. And I didn't have to leave the house to shop for ingredients.
Feel free to try this recipe when you need a taste of sunshine. Enjoy!
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Fresh Orange Bread
- 1 C. honey
- 1/4 C. shortening
- 1 egg
- 1-1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
- 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2-1/2 C. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 C. fresh orange juice
Cream honey and shortening. Add egg; beat well. Add orange peel. In a separate bowl, mix baking powder and flour together; add to honey mixture, alternating with orange juice. Stir in nuts. Pour into two greased 4x8 inch loaf pans. Bake in 325 degree oven for 55 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.
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