Orange Blueberry Bread

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(from 7 reviews)
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Orange Blueberry Bread

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?

Orange Blueberry Bread
TOP RATED

Orange Blueberry Bread Recipe

Prep TimeCook TimeMakes
15 Mins1 Hr 10 MinsOne loaf
AuthorCategoryMethod
BreadsBaking
Orange Blueberry Bread
4.6 from 7 reviews
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 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 5 tablespoons Butter, (measured and melted)
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 cup (dry measuring cup) Homemade Applesauce or store-bought
  • 1/4 cup (dry measuring cup) Plain Yogurt (I used fat free)
  • 4 tablespoons Orange Juice (Freshly Squeezed)
  • 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
  • 1/2 cup Milk (I used 2%)
  • 1 cup Blueberries (Fresh or Frozen)
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (or nuts of your choice/optional)
Procedure:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray on the sides and bottom.
  2. In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; keep it aside.
  3. Whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, orange juice, and zest in a small bowl.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Fold in the blueberries and nuts. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them.
  7. 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.
  8. 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 Facts
Orange Blueberry Bread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 147Servings 12
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g8%
Saturated Fat 3.3g16%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 175mg8%
Potassium 48mg1%
Total Carbohydrates 23.7g9%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g3%
Sugars 19.8g
Protein 1.3g
Vitamin D 3mcg17%
Calcium 29mg2%
Iron 0mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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77 COMMENTS

  1. Anne

    Thanks so much for the recipe. My daughter has many allergies eggs and nuts included. So finding a cake / bread she can make and joy to eat is wonderful. It was easy enough for new bakers and we have made 3 so far.

    • Madhuram

      You’re welcome, Anne and thank you very much for the feedback.

  2. Srishti Agarwal

    Hi.
    1. If we use frozen blueberries, do we need to thaw them?
    2. Can we use canned orange juice ?
    3. If orange is not in season, can I use orange essence? If yes, how much?

    • Madhuram

      Do not thaw frozen blueberries. Use it directly from the freezer. Yes, you can use canned juice. You can use orange essence but it might be too strong so try using 1/4 teaspoon and see how you like it and decide accordingly.

  3. Raspreet

    Thank you for the recipe! I omitted nuts and replaced orange with tangerine, and used only 3/4 cup sugar. It was delicious!

    • Madhuram

      You’re very welcome Raspreet.

  4. Jane

    Hi! Can I substitute All Purpose Flour with Whole Wheat flour? Does that work for all recipes? Cakes, muffins, cookies…

    • Madhuram

      It doesn’t work for all recipes Jane. The taste and texture will definitely differ. So you can try out substituting half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and slowly increase the proportion.

  5. MikeyD

    Absolutely amazing. Though I had to make some minor modifications as I’m on a plant based diet. I used almost 3/4 cup fresh almond milk and about 2 tbsp tahini to replace the milk and yogurt.
    Thank you. This is definitely going into my cookbook.

    • Madhuram

      You’re very welcome Mikey.

  6. Bharat Jadav

    Same problem happened with me ma’am. It didn’t rise properly..I added 1/4th teaspoon baking soda still, I dont know wht went wrong..please guide

    • Madhuram

      Did you use the 1 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder too?

      • Bharat Jadav

        yes ma’am ..1.1/4th teaspoon baking powder

  7. Jigita doshi

    Hi I tried three times but it is not rising properly. It is very soft and yummy but the only problem is it dosent rise properly. Thank u

    • Madhuram

      Hmm…can’t guess where you are going wrong.

  8. Falguni

    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

      Yes it should work Falguni.

  9. roopa

    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..

  10. parul upadhyay

    If blueberries are not available what can I use?

    • Madhuram

      Try chopped strawberries.

  11. Faith

    5 star recipe for sure!

  12. Faith

    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

      You’re welcome Faith. I wish you can rate the recipe.

  13. lemon blueberry cashew bread | robgeleen.com lemon blueberry cashew bread |

    […] baked a lemon blueberry bread with cashew pieces. I pretty closely followed this recipe from EgglessCooking.com (neat site). I veganized it, which wasn’t difficult as there were no […]

  14. Sumitra

    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

      Those are some great changes you have made Sumitra. I’m glad that it turned out good.

  15. Uthra

    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

      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

        Thanks for the quick reply, Madhuram. I’ll definitely try that next time!

        -Uthra.

  16. eugene

    Hello Madhu

    Can i subtitute yogurt with buttermilk?

    thanks

    • Madhuram

      You can Eugene.

  17. Kavitha

    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

      You’re welcome Kavitha. I’m glad that all of you enjoyed this recipe.

  18. Bhavna

    Hi – What’s the substitute for Apple Sauce?

    • Madhuram

      Maybe you could try 2 tablespoons of milk.

  19. Vera

    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

      Thanks for trying the recipe Vera.

  20. Jeya

    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?

  21. Shraddha

    Hey Madhuram,
    Can i substitute applesauce wit yogurt itself. Tat is half cup of yogurt altogether??

  22. Krsna

    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

      It should not be a problem Krsna.