Do you have a lucky fruit or charm in baking? I think mine is blueberry. Anything I bake with blueberries comes out so well. Touch wood! Interestingly I'm not a fan of plain blueberries.
My all-time favorite recipe is the Low Fat Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake and the most tried and loved recipe from this blog by the visitors is the Vegan Blueberry Muffins.
I'm pretty sure that this Orange Blueberry Quick Bread too will make it to the list of your favorites because it is already in mine.
This orange blueberry bread recipe is my version of the lemon blueberry bread recipes I came across here and here.
Both the recipes are quite similar, so I took some hints and have come up with my version of the orange blueberry bread. I somehow prefer the mellow citrus flavor of oranges to that of lemons in baked goods. The citrus nature of orange is not as pronounced as that of lemon, but it surely exhibits its presence and compliments the end product's taste. So this orange blueberry bread is no exception to the above.
The bread was very moist, light, and fluffy. The sweetness was just right, the citrus tang from the oranges was perfect, and the pecans gave the bread a nice texture.
More than everything the house smells so good while the bread is baking. It's amazing that as little as 5 tablespoons of butter can give that pleasant aroma.
I'm also confident that this recipe minus the blueberries and nuts will make an excellent low-fat orange-flavored pound cake. I can't wait to try that version too.
Who needs a pound of butter and everything else to make a pound cake when we can get the same fantastic result with this low-fat version?
If you tried this Orange Blueberry Bread recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
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Recipe
Orange Blueberry Bread
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.
My 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!
Falguni says
Hey Madhuram,
Breads looks extremely tempting, I haven't tried yet but I was planning to use whole wheat flour, I mean half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. Do you think bread with turn soft and moist with whole wheat flour?
Madhuram says
Yes it should work Falguni.
roopa says
Hi
I tried this recipe but I used canned cherries instead of blueberries and added some nuts also. But the colour was bit darker n it was too moist..so took longer for me to bake..and just to make sure by one cup does it mean 240 ml ? Pls help..
Madhuram says
Check this page for baking measurements:http://www.egglesscooking.com/baking-101/baking-measurements/
parul upadhyay says
If blueberries are not available what can I use?
Madhuram says
Try chopped strawberries.
Faith says
5 star recipe for sure!
Faith says
I made this couple of weeks ago. I used Almond Milk instead of Apple sauce since i did not have apple sauce handy. The bread came out oh so yummy! We had it with coffee at home and felt like we were sitting in a cafe 🙂 Thank you so much Madhuram for this recipe.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Faith. I wish you can rate the recipe.
Sumitra says
Hi Madhuram, a great recipe for a quick bread. The bread is yummy, moist, soft and delicious and I could'nt wait to slice it after taking it out of the oven. I didn't have blueberries and so I added raisins (after plumping them) and since I'm a fan of almonds, I added 1/2 a cup of almonds. I always like to toast the nuts a little before adding to most recipes and so I toasted the nuts. I feel toasting the nuts removes the raw smell and also makes them a little crisp and crunchy. Also, I used tangerine juice (instead of orange juice) and orange zest as I felt that orange juice has that tinge of bitterness even when freshly squeezed unlike tangerine which is sweet! Well, I had tangerine in stock and thought of giving it a try! My bread was done at abt 55 min and I also brushed the bread with orange glaze to give it a tangy orange flavor. Since I always use parchment paper, removing the bread from the pan was a breeze. I should have been more patient slicing the loaf though and realized when I started slicing it! I left it overnight and could slice the loaf neatly. I'm also happy that it required only less than a stick of butter! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Madhuram says
Those are some great changes you have made Sumitra. I'm glad that it turned out good.
Uthra says
Hi Madhuram,
Amazing recipe. This was my first baking experiment and it turned out well. I modified it a little bit and made it a lemon blueberry cake instead. I added lemon zest and also brushed some lemon glaze on the bread when it was done. I had two questions - most of my blueberries were settled at the bottom. Do you have any ideas on how to avoid it? Also, although my bread did not break when I tried to cut it, it did crumble a little. Any suggestions on what I could tweak? Thanks a lot!
-Uthra.
Madhuram says
Thanks Uthra. To prevent fruit (fresh or dried) from sinking at the bottom you will have to toss it with little flour before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Try that the next time. You have to let the bread cool completely preferably overnight. Or try storing it in the refrigerator before slicing if time is short
Uthra says
Thanks for the quick reply, Madhuram. I'll definitely try that next time!
-Uthra.
eugene says
Hello Madhu
Can i subtitute yogurt with buttermilk?
thanks
Madhuram says
You can Eugene.
Kavitha says
Hi Madhuram,
I tried this bread a few weeks back with mixed frozen berries
and it turned out moist and wonderful. I have since baked it
2-3 times and shared it with friends and neighbors. They all
liked it so much and asked for the recipe and have since made and
enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks for posting a winner!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Kavitha. I'm glad that all of you enjoyed this recipe.
Bhavna says
Hi - What's the substitute for Apple Sauce?
Madhuram says
Maybe you could try 2 tablespoons of milk.
Vera says
I baked this bread yesterday evening, but with cranberry's. In the morning I tried a slice and it was very delicious. But it was coming apart, so I didn't continue, will try to refrigerate it for 1 hour and then slice it.
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Vera.
Jeya says
Hi Madhuram,
I tried this recipe today. Awesome. I was able to slice the bread in an hour and it didn't crumble. As suggested, I used parchment paper to line the tray. I want try making this using freshly ground whole wheat flour. What are your thoughts?
Shraddha says
Hey Madhuram,
Can i substitute applesauce wit yogurt itself. Tat is half cup of yogurt altogether??
Krsna says
hey Madhuram, i was planning to make this and take with me
while i fly.
would it be ok to have the bread outside the fridge for a day or so?
Thanks,
Madhuram says
It should not be a problem Krsna.
Shivangi says
I just put the bread in the oven, looking forward how it turns out. Love your recipes and i am a big fan of blueberries.
Keep u poted!
sheetal says
Hi Madhuram,
The bread looks absolutely yumm!! cant wait to make it. have just one question though.Can i substitute applesauce with flax seed/oil/yogurt i guess its being used as egg replacement (correct me if i m wrong). I have tried ur cake receipes with egg subsitues of yogurt and canola oil and the cakes have come out awesome. Pl let me know. Thanks.
Madhuram says
I already have used 1/4 cup of yogurt for 1 egg. I used applesauce for the other egg because I thought it needed some binding agent. So I think using flax seed powder for the other egg should be fine.
Vera says
Always great ideas. I haven't baked any breads yet and thought to try this one. I am from Lebanon and we don't have applesauce over here. Neither flax seed powder. What can I use instead? Thx in advance...
Madhuram says
You could make applesauce at home. Just peel and chop apples. Add little water and cook it in the microwave oven/stove top and blend it once it is cool enough.
Vera says
Thx a lot! I will try this very soon!
Siobhan says
Yummm!! I just finished making this and it does make the house smell fabulous. The batter was scrumptious and without having to worry about the raw eggs my daughter had a lot of fun licking the bowl.
Now comes the painful part, trying to wait until morning to have a slice.
Madhuram says
It's worth the wait Siobhan. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Meena says
Many Thanks for your prompt reply Madhuram! I will try this recipe again with the right qty of butter and all the ingds and make muffins! can't wait, as my husband loves blueberry muffins.
Tejas says
I have tried this recipe and loved it!!
I have strawberry preserve and I am looking for recipe (other than heart cookies) to use this jar. Please pass along your ideas.
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Tejas. You could blend a couple of tablespoons of the preserves, some vanilla/strawberry icecream, milk/yogurt and ice cubes for a quick strawberry milkshake/smoothie. Or blend the preserves with some soft/silken tofu, vanilla extract and some fresh strawberries if you have any for a vegan strawberry pudding. Try searching strawberry preserves in some recipe sites like Taste of Home etc and you will get a bunch of ideas, including bars, cookies etc.