Orange Apple Ginger Tea Bread

I love cookbooks and have been known to read them with all the bits that authors put in which is what make them more fun and interesting to me. Even though today you can find nearly everything on the internet, periodically, I will buy another cookbook to add to my collection.

I have a cookbook from 1952 called Mary Meade’s Magic Recipes for the Electric Blender by Ruth Ellen Church that talks about the wonderful blender and the myriad uses for it since it was a shiny new toy at that time. Today, many of the things she uses it for can be done by the food processor but I still find things in that cookbook that I love.

This sweet bread is one of them. It’s taste is sort of like muffins but in a loaf shape – not overly sweet but sweet enough that it’s perfect with a nice cup of coffee or tea, cold or hot.

I eyed this recipe many times but there were ingredients in it I didn’t care for (raisins, not a fan in baking) and I had other recipes that I liked and were tried and true so I didn’t go for it.

Then, one fateful day in the office, Eitan F. brought in some foodstuffs in his mom’s memory and by accident, he bought some crystallized ginger. Now Eitan just grabbed it off the shelf, not really looking at it and nobody in the office tried it (except one hardy soul who promptly spit it out) so I took it to him and asked if I could take it home with me to bake with since it is inedible (unbelievably sharp and really not pleasant) as is but great for baking. He hesitated and said, I’ll just try one. His face was a picture as he bit into it and I cracked up. He said, please! take it. And I did. Now I meant to bring him a piece to try, but by the time I turned around, there were only crumbs left. Sorry Eitan, but I baked some more :), no worries, he got his gingery baked goods and was a happy camper.

This truly has sugar and spice and everything nice. There is fresh orange juice and orange zest (peel) and just for the heck of it I threw in fresh lemon peel as well.

Then I squeeze the orange for its juice which gives it the gorgeous orange color although you can use bottled o.j. for it but it adds great flavor and freshness.

Instead of the dreaded raisins, I put in a handful of craisins, dried cranberries. It calls for fresh peeled apple which I sliced up in chunks and tossed in the food processor along with

the finely chunked crystallized ginger (you have to chop with a knife before putting in the food processor or it’ll get stuck in the blades). I added the eggs and the oil (instead of shortening and it works beautifully), whirled it together till smooth and you pour the lot over the dry ingredients and stir altogether.

You can see the tiny bits of cranberry in there and although you don’t see the ginger, it’s in there.

Then pour the mixture into a large loaf pan sprayed with oil and lined with parchment paper.

The scent of the tea bread is heady and swirls around the kitchen and when it cools down on a cooling rack, should slide right out and you can cut the bread into thick lovely slices.

You can eat this as is, with coffee, tea, hot cocoa, iced coffee or tea, milk, get my drift? Absolutely anything is great with this, or smear with cream cheese, jam or butter. It has the bold lemon, orange peel and ginger flavors to stand up to it. You won’t be sorry 🙂 .

Orange Apple Ginger Tea Bread

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teasppons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

grated orange peel from a whole orange

grated lemon peel from 1/2 a lemon

2 eggs

1 apple, peeled and cored and chunked (don’t have to make it fine, you will chop it in the food processor

4 chunks of crystallized (or candied) ginger, cut into small chunks or they catch in the blades of the processor

1/3 cup of craisins or raisins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take out a large loaf pan and oil spray it and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Put the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir thoroughly together and set aside.

Take out your food processor and put in the oil, orange juice, eggs, chunked apple, craisins and both grated peels and chunked ginger. Whirl together in the processor till all is finely chopped.

Pour the food processor mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just till fully incorporated but do not overmix or you will toughen the tea bread.

Take the prepared loaf pan and evenly pour the combined mixture into the lined pan and tap lightly on the counter to settle.

Place loaf pan in the hot oven and bake for approximately an hour and ten to fifteen minutes, check with a toothpick after an hour to make sure your bread doesn’t overbake. It will likely need 10 – 15 more minutes but better safe than sorry. After the additional time if necessary, check again with a dry toothpick and if clean with a few crumbs clinging, your tea bread is done. Really try to let it cool despite the urge to dig right in since it will set up better if allowed to cool. Then dig in!