Sunshine Citrus Bread

I had a great time visiting with my parents and my sister and her family for a few days, and though I've been taking a much-needed vacation from the computer, I just couldn't resist adding one final recipe for the year. Besides, I just came back from Louisiana with more bags of citrus fruit than I brought home last time, and I need to start finding ways to use it up. Also, I finally managed to buy some of the King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour that I've been reading about for a while, and I wanted to try it out. So, I thought, how about a quick-bread made with...calamondins!

If you've been reading here for a while, you'll remember calamondins. They are small citrus fruits, bigger than kumquats, smaller than clementines, that people often grow as ornamental plants. I enjoy their tart taste as an alternative to lemon in tea and pies, but I realize that they aren't available to most of you, so the following recipe is written so that you should be able to use oranges, tangerines, or kumquats. Like kumquats, calamondins don't have to be peeled, so if you're using oranges or tangerines, be sure to chop up some of the peel to add to the bread.

This recipe makes one very large or two regular-sized loaves, something I didn't realize when I tried to pour all the batter into my one medium-sized loaf pan. I ended up dipping out some of the batter and putting it into muffin cups, which led to the loaf not rising as high as it should have in the middle. But that was the only problem with this bread—and it didn't affect the taste at all. It was light, tender, and strongly citrus-flavored, and my husband and daughter could not tell that it was made with whole wheat flour and without oil. It's a new family favorite that I think we'll make a winter tradition. And during cold season, who couldn't use a little extra vitamin C?

Sunshine Citrus Bread

1 cup citrus puree (see instructions)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or a combination of whole wheat and white flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup raisins

For calamondins: Cut about 12 calamondins in half and remove the seeds. Place them in a food processor and pulse to chop completely. Measure out 1 cup of puree and reserve the rest for another use.

For kumquats: Place about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of kumquats into food processor and pulse to chop completely. Measure out 1 cup of puree and reserve the rest for another use.

For oranges or tangerines: Peel 2 large or 3 medium oranges or tangerines and cut them into quarters. Remove seeds, if necessary, and place the fruit into a food processor. Pulse to chop completely. Measure out 1 cup of puree and reserve the rest for another use. Grate or chop 2 tablespoons of the peel, and add it to the recipe along with the cup of puree.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and oil or spray one large (9 X5X3-inch) or two medium loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine the puree, sugar, soymilk, and apple sauce. In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Do not over-stir.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes for one large pan, less time for smaller pans. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

Each serving, using pecans, contains 197 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (17% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 282mg Sodium; 4g Fiber

Each serving, without nuts, contains 163 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 282mg Sodium; 4g Fiber

Let me take a minute to thank all of you wonderful readers and fellow bloggers for making 2006 a great blogging year for me. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to get to know you through your comments, emails, and blogs, and I look forward to what 2007 will bring. Happy New Year to you all!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free