The other day Brion & I were in a ‘Winners’ store and were looking through the gourmet food section. A couple of Pol’s Gourmet Preserves caught our attention. One was the Strawberry Chia Preserve. The preserve combines ripe strawberries with chia seeds, date juice, and lemon juice, cooked in vacuum boilers. It is marketed as a healthy and natural product with a focus on natural flavor and consistency. Pol’s utilizes vacuum technology to maintain the strawberries’ natural qualities during the cooking process. They also emphasize the use of natural base ingredients and the absence of additives beyond the natural components.
We purchased a jar even though I wasn’t sure at the time what I would use it for since neither of us use a lot of preserves on toast. Of course, it didn’t take long to find a way to incorporate it into a recipe.
I have childhood memories of my mother making an orange bread loaf. I always thought it was so unique because it used the fresh orange zest from two whole oranges. The flavor was so distinct along with the bread being wonderfully moist. This recipe was one that has remained with me over the years, long after I had left my parents’ home. I used it numerous times over the years in my food service career in different applications.
Today I decided to swirl some of this interesting preserve into my mother’s orange bread loaf and the flavor was even better than I thought it would be. This orange loaf recipe is perfect for when you need a make-ahead dessert. I like it even more on the second day because the orange aroma (and flavor) becomes even more vibrant.
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- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- zest of 2 oranges
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup butter,
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup Pol's Strawberry Chia Preserve
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or line an 8" x 4" x 3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Peel oranges thinly & finely chop peel. Boil with sugar & water for 10 minutes: cool. Pour into a large bowl & add egg & butter.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, salt & baking powder. Add dry mixture to wet mixture alternately with milk.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with dollops of strawberry preserve. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl preserve into batter making sure not to over stir so it creates a marbled effect.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until bread tests done. Remove from oven & cool on wire rack. As I mentioned in the blog, the bread tastes better the second day if you can wait that long to try it.