Eating oranges seems to be part of the Christmas season. But why waste the orange peel? What can we do with them? Let me show you how to make easy candied orange peel.
The process is quite easy. The inside of the orange rind is cleaned of white flesh, as it contains a lot of bitterness. Then it is boiled in salt water until all the bitterness of the peel is cooked off. Finally, candy the peel by boiling it in sugar and then leaving it to dry.
Uses of Candied Orange Peel
There are many ways you can use this sugared peel. The most straightforward way is to simply dip it into dark chocolate and enjoy it as a candy treat.
As an ingredient, the candied peel really shines in the baking department. Typical examples are German Stollen, Lebkuchen, or orange cakes. There are also sweet yeast bread, cookies, and fruit bread that use oranges in their recipes to enrich their taste with a special citrus note.
Especially in German Christmas food, you will many dishes that contain candied citrus. Often recipes will ask for mixed peel- or citrus peel. This will be a mixture of candied orange and candied lemon peel.
Not only do they add a fruity and sweet flavor to a recipe, but they also add a different texture to baked goods.
Origin
The origin of candied fruit is even older than that of chocolate and sugar. There is evidence from the Egyptians that the Pharaoh enjoyed candied figs and dates which had been preserved in syrup. Romans candied fruit in honey and brought them from the Orient back to Rome.
Candying fruit for everyday use only because common when citrus fruit became cheaper and readily available in the 20th century.
Recipes using sugared orange peel
How to make Candied Orange Peel
The process of making candied orange peel is simple. The orange peel is enriched by a concentrated sugar emulsion. The finished product consists of 65% or more sugar. At the same time, they are dried out of all water. You candy the peel by slowly cooking it in a sugar-concentrated emulsion.
However, you should factor in enough time, as the peel can take a while to dry.
Equipment needed:
- Jar (to store the finished product)
- baking parchment
- baking tray
- saucepan
- chopping board
- sharp knife
Ingredients:
- oranges (make sure they are unwaxed so that the peel can be used for eating, typically organic oranges are unwaxed)
- sugar
- salt
- water
Candied Orange Peel Recipe Step by Step
- Prepare the oranges by washing them with warm water. Now slice the orange peel lengthwise so you end up with 4 equal parts and remove the inner skin.
- Using a knife remove the white flesh on the inside of the peel, as this contains a lot of bitterness.
- Place the orange peels in a pot and cover them with water. Add a teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
- Strain the peels, and add them back into the pot. Cover with a little water and boil for about 5 minutes. Repeat this step a second time (or even a third if you find your peels still too bitter)
- Now drain and weigh your orange peels (mine were 400 g/ 14 oz) and then weigh the exact same weight in sugar.
- Place the orange peel and sugar back into the pot. Add about 150 ml /5 fl oz of water to the saucepan (scale according to how much orange peel you have) and bring to a boil. Cook for about 1 hour on low heat. If necessary you can add a little more water, if too much has evaporated. In the end you will see that a thick syrup will have formed.
- Remove the oranges from the pot and leave them to drain off any excess liquid. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and leave them to dry. This could take around 2-3 days. If your radiators are on at home, you can place them nearby to accelerate the process. Another option is to heat your oven to around 50°C/122°F and dry your orange peels for approximately 2-3 hours.
- Once the peel has dried, chop it into little cubes and store it in an airtight jar until needed.
Storage Instructions
Store your candied orange peel in an airtight jar. You can keep it at room temperature or in the fridge and it will last up to 6 weeks.
You can also freeze the orange peel. Just make sure that it is placed in an airtight container, as otherwise, it may dry out.
Frequently asked questions
Those who prefer not to use the sugar orange rind can replace it with other dried fruit, such as dried apricots, dates, candied pineapple, or dried cherries. Another alternative is candied ginger, but be careful as the flavor can be overwhelming.
During the time of the GDR in East Germany, citrus fruit was expensive to import. So they invented an orange peel replacement made from candied carrots called. "Kandinat".
If your orange peels are still bitter, double-check that you removed all the white pith from the inside of the peels. You can also boil the peels for longer, and change the water frequently until you boiled away all the bitterness.
The amount of water in the peels will vary according to which oranges you use. If they are still sticky after two days of drying, place them in a fan oven at 50 degrees for 2-3 hours.
Another option is to place them in a jar and fill up the jar with a generous amount of sugar. The sugar is hydroscopic (attracts water) so it will dry them out. Then after a couple of days, sift out the sugar. The remaining sugar can be reused for other desserts as it will have absorbed some delicious orange flavor.
The most common orange used for Orangeat is the Bitter Orange (Citrus aurantium) also known as sour orange or Seville Orange.
However, for homemade orange peel, you can use common oranges. Some even prefer the flavor. Just make sure that the peels are unwaxed (typically organic oranges are untreated) and suitable for eating.
More German Christmas Essentials
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Recipe
Easy Candied Orange Peel (Orangeat)
Ingredients
- 4 oranges make sure they are untreated and the peel is suitable for eating
- white sugar
- salt
- water
Instructions
- Prepare the oranges by washing them with warm water. Now slice the orange peel lengthwise so you end up with 4 equal parts and pull off the skin.4 oranges
- Using a knife remove the white flesh on the inside of the peel, as this contains a lot of bitterness.
- Place the orange peels in a pot and cover them with water. Add a teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.water, salt
- Strain the peels, and add them back into the pot. Cover with a little water and boil for about 5 minutes. Repeat this step a second time. (or even a third if you find your peels still too bitter)
- Now drain and weigh your orange peels (mine were 400 g/ 14 oz) and then weigh off the exact same weight in sugar.
- Place the orange peel and sugar back into the pot. Add about 150 ml /5 fl oz of water to the saucepan (scale according to how much orange peel you have) and bring to a boil. Cook for about 1 hour on low heat. If necessary you can add a little more water, if too much has evaporated. In the end, you will see that a thick syrup will have formed.white sugar
- Remove the oranges from the pot and leave them to drain off any excess liquid. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and leave them to dry. This could take around 2-3 days. If your radiators are on at home, you can place them nearby to accelerate the process. Another option is to heat your oven to around 50°C/122°F and dry your orange peels for approximately 2-3 hours.
- Once the peel has dried, chop it into little cubes and store it in an airtight jar until needed.
Marlene Lafreniere says
This recipe doesn't s;ay howq much of the ingredients to use. Can you please share how much sugar and water to use.
Marita Sinden says
Hi Marlene, please go to the bottom of the post where there is a printable recipe card with all the measurements.