A friend arrived with some gorgeous homegrown grapefruits at my doorstep and besides making a great vodka drink, this was a great way to enjoy these beauties.  I actually have another grapefruit quick bread recipe on my blog that is very similar to this one.  This version is a little less sweet and has fewer ingredients.  I use buttermilk instead of yogurt for this bread and no coconut.  If you prefer orange or lemon, you could easily substitute.  This recipe makes 2 loaves as it is always nice to keep one for your own family and another to share!

Yield: 2  8″ loaves

Ingredients:

for bread:

  • 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Zest of 2 grapefruits
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed grapefruit juice 
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3  teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cup neutral flavored oil (canola, vegetable)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

for glaze:

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine grapefruit zest with sugar and stir to combine. Whisk in buttermilk, grapefruit juice, eggs and oil. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and stir to combine well. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans and bake loaves until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (between 50-60 minutes).  Allow bread to cool for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a baking rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath rack.  Make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and grapefruit juice in a measuring cup.  You can add a little extra juice if glaze is too dry. Drizzle glaze evenly over loaves allowing it to drip down the sides and using a pastry brush to distribute as needed.  Allow to cool completely before slicing.  Enjoy!