Loaves and Switches: Chai-Orange Tea Loaf

The October issue of Food Network Magazine included an insert of 50 (FIFTY!) quick bread recipes, and it set my mind to racing. They offered savory variations in addition to sweet, much like my take on fruit cobbler. The flavor combinations were intoxicating, and I could hardly wait to start trying them.

Quick breads are standard repertoire for home bakers, and for good reason - quick, certainly, but also delicious and incredibly satisfying. And as I couldn't leave well enough alone, I tinkered and played with the recipes presented by FNM, adding a few extra touches along the way:

Have your tea loaf (and eat it, too).

Chai-Orange Tea Loaf

Tea infusion:
1/2 cup whole milk
One bag strong black tea

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of ground cloves

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (vanilla sugar, if you have it)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Zest of one orange

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tablespoon whole milk
Splash of vanilla extract

Measure out milk and add teabag; let steep until needed.

Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in honey, eggs, vanilla and orange zest. Beat in half of the dry ingredients, stir in the milk/tea infusion, then add the remainder of the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Stir glaze ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the loaf.

Alternate glaze: Combine juice from the zested orange and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until sugar has dissolved. Spoon over top of loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Continue to cool as above.

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