By I crossed the bridge to Anapra on Wednesday — the weekly visit, the taste-and-check ritual. The conchas were perfect (Lupita's hands are confident now — eight years of practice, eight years of Rosa's recipe, the hands know). I sat at the small table by the window and drank coffee and watched the neighborhood women come and go, and the watching was the prayer, and the prayer was: thank you, Rosa.
Sitting at that small table by the window, watching the neighborhood settle into its Wednesday rhythm, I kept thinking about what it means to come back—to the same bridge, the same coffee, the same recipe handed down until the hands carry it without thinking. When I got home I wanted to bake something that held that same quality: a loaf that rewards repetition, that tastes like a season you trust. This Orange Rhubarb Bread is the one I reach for in the in-between weeks of spring—tart enough to wake you up, sweet enough to feel like a small grace, and steady enough to become a ritual of its own.
Orange Rhubarb Bread
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 large orange)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons turbinado or coarse sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and granulated sugar until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined—do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are fine at this stage.
- Fold in rhubarb. Add the sliced rhubarb and fold in with 3–4 strokes, distributing it evenly without deflating the batter.
- Fill the pan. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with the coarse sugar.
- Bake. Bake for 50–58 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Tent loosely with foil after 35 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
- Cool. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes more before slicing—the crumb sets as it cools.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 175mg