Monday, May 7, 2012

Orange Nut Quick Bread



Looking for a good nut quick bread recipe? Well I would love to share mine with you. The orange nut quick bread that I've been baking for years comes from my old tattered Five Roses Flour recipe book, one of the first ones I used when I started baking. For my friends in other countries, Five Roses is simply a brand of flour sold in Canada. In fact the neon Five Roses Flour's sign, a Montreal landmark which was erected in 1948, still greets visitors as they enter our 
fair city. 
  .Montreal At Night Farine Five Roses 


Note: Top off the orange nut bread loaf with an easy to make orange glaze (recipe follows).
You might also like to try molds other than the traditional loaf pan.

According to Wikipedia, "Quick Bread"possibly originated from the United States of America at the end of the eighteenth century. Before the creation of Quick bread, baked goods were leavened with either yeast or by mixing dough with eggs. In order to respond to increased demands for baked goods during the American Civil War, baking soda was used as a leavening agent to provide more rapid results and therefore the creation of 'quick bread'.



Preparation

Orange Glaze:
juice of half an orange
1/4 cup granulated sugar
In a small bowl mix the the orange juice and sugar


Orange Nut Loaf:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp orange rind
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Grease and flour an 8 ½ “x 4½" x 2½ " loaf pan
In a mixing bowl, blend the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl; cream the butter and gradually beat in the sugar.
Beat the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the orange rind.
Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the egg butter mixture. Mix well after each addition.
Fold in the nuts.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Brush on the orange glaze. Return the loaf to the oven for and additional minute.
Allow to cool for about ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack for further cooling.


9 comments:

  1. what a lovely photo Anna , I 'll try as soon as possible this recipe...

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  2. Chiara, thank-you. I knew this would hit the right note with you. Being Italian, we are prone to gravitate to simple citrus flavoured baked goods. Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

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  3. This looks so good and I notice you say to bake it in a loaf pan. What is the pan called in the picture, it's so much prettier than a plain loaf pan!

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    1. Amelia, thanks for visiting my blog. I'm constantly on the look-out for pretty bake-ware. The bake-ware I used for this recipe is from the Paderno "Professional" selection and are described on their website at http://paderno.com - a 6 cup "Mini 6 Cavity Fluted Pan". Product ID: 4517"

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  4. Quick breads are the best, and this combo sounds so fresh, a nice change up from the same old banana bread we make. I still remember the commercials on the Italian TV network for "Farina Five Roses, it's Amore". As a child I was very adamant that my mother buy this brand because I liked the packaging and the rose :)

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    1. Ivana, that is such a cute story from your childhood! Thanks for sharing.
      I'm so glad you liked the recipe. I agree that it is fun to think out of the box. I also love the lemon loaf that I have been making for years. I don't know about your mom, but mine always made citrus based baked goodies. Lemon was sure to be one of the ingredients.

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks Jay. Hope you have a great week-end.

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