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blood orange bread with cream cheese icing: the year of the pulse

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living. Regular oranges can be used in place of the blood oranges. Chickpea flour is flavorful, so I feel less is more in this application. It has a slight grassy flavor, and I found toasting the flour helped tame the earthy taste. Chickpea flour does not taste great raw, so the raw batter will not be one to taste test. However, the baked bread have a unique, delicious flavor.
Author Sarah Kieffer

Ingredients

For the bread

  • 1/2 cup 50g chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
  • 1 1/4 cups 178g all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 198g granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
  • 1/4 cup blood orange juice
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup canola oil olive oil will work, too

for the icing

  • 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons blood orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 1/2 cups 171g powdered sugar

Instructions

For the bread

  • Place the chickpea flour in a small skillet and toast over medium heat, until the flour turns light golden brown and begins to smell ‘toasty’, 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 350, and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, or a 9 x 4 x 4 inch Pullman pan (without the lid, which is what I used).
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • Combine the sugar and zest together in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together well. Add the juice and buttermilk, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and oil, and whisk again to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture to buttermilk mixture, and whisk until smooth. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn the loaf out on the rack, and let cool completely before applying the cream cheese icing.

For the icing

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides, and add the orange juice, vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Beat again until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Increase the speed to medium, and beat until light and fluffy. Spread the icing on the cooled bread.