Citrus bread is like human society.
Hear me out.
It seems to me that human beings show the most variation among any species. And there are a lot of us, almost 7 billion, in fact. Yet, according to Wikipedia, we're crammed together on just 510,072,000 square kilometers of Earth.
Alright, so enough with this nerdiness, and back to the simile.
Citrus fruit comes in a number of varieties, and this bread only highlights three citrus "populations." Yet, despite their differences in color, flavor, and size, these fruits cohabitate perfectly in two small loaf pans.
Lemon tries to be the Loaf Leader of Loaf-land, but Lime quickly becomes a contender in the race for Loaf Domination.
Orange silently sits back and watches as Lemon and Lime work to compromise, conferencing in the oven. But, in the end, Orange doesn't refrain from signing its flavor signature as witness upon their Loaf Treaty.
In the end, Lemon, Lime, and Orange produce two pound cake-like loaves: zesty and sweet, perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea.
Citrus Loaf
Inspired by Kathy Scott's Lemon Bread Recipe
Yields: 2 5.75"x3" mini loaves
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB orange juice
1 TB lime juice
1 TB lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 1 TB milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease two 5.75"x3" mini loaf pans. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
Beat in eggs, juice, and zest.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate pouring this mixture and the milk into the liquid mixture.
Bake at 350 deg. F. for 30 minutes. Allow loaves to cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes.
