Orange Blueberry Bread
Can you believe that a light, moist and fluffy blueberry bread like this can be egg free and low-fat too? Perfect for summertime picnics, this orange-blueberry bread will definitely be a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 5 tablespoons Butter (measured and melted)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Applesauce (Homemade, dry measuring cup)
- ¼ cup Plain Yogurt (I used fat free - dry measuring cup)
- 4 tablespoons Orange Juice (Freshly Squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
- ½ cup Milk (I used 2%)
- 1 cup Blueberries (Fresh or Frozen)
- ½ cup Pecans (Chopped, or any nuts of your choice/optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray on the sides and bottom.
- In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; keep it aside.
- Whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, orange juice, and zest in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream the melted butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes using a handheld electric mixer. (Update: Measure the butter first and then melt it. The butter and sugar doesn't cream very much. It looks more like coarse crumbs). Add the above-wet mixture and beat well for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture will look curdled, but it's okay.
- Now, add the flour and milk alternatively and beat for a couple of seconds after each addition. Add the flour in three parts and milk twice. So you would start with flour and end with flour.
- Fold in the blueberries and nuts. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake between 60-70 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Mine was done exactly at 60 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let it cool for about an hour before removing the bread from the pan. I think I did not grease the bottom of the loaf pan well enough so I could remove the bread only after about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool it completely on the wire rack (preferably overnight) before cutting it into slices. I baked it after 8 pm, so I left it overnight and was able to get neat slices the next day morning.
Notes
- I would suggest lining the loaf pan with parchment paper so that you can remove the bread from the pan within a span of 15-20 minutes. I usually do it for my cakes but I completely forgot while baking this bread.
- Always use freshly squeezed orange juice only while baking. I have tried several brands of store-bought juice, and every brand leaves a bitter aftertaste. It totally spoils the baked good. I used the zest of 2 big oranges in this recipe.
- If you are up to taking risks, why don't you try the same recipe without the berries and nuts for a low-fat orange pound cake!
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 2549kcal | Carbohydrates: 395g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 100g | Saturated Fat: 42g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 2490mg | Potassium: 987mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 236g | Vitamin A: 2235IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Vitamin D: 1µg | Calcium: 610mg | Iron: 11mg
