Grapefruit-Rosemary Bread

This breakfast bread is a beautiful balance of flavors: citrusy grapefruit is mellowed out by earthy rosemary, making it an ideal complement to your morning tea or coffee. It’s also super easy to make (even if you’re not a baker!).

Linda Ly
Grapefruit-rosemary bread

I love putting together fresh fruit and herbal flavors from my garden. This is one of my favorite breakfast breads and tea pastries, so simple to whip up and pretty much foolproof. The tartness of the grapefruit is mellowed out by earthy rosemary, so the result is not too overwhelming on the palate.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can try other flavor combinations, depending on what you have on hand.

Out of grapefruit? Try orange. No rosemary? Substitute a bit of marjoram. Experiment freely and let me know which other flavors turn out well for you!

Overhead shot of grapefruit-rosemary bread ingredients on a white surface, including flour, sugar, eggs, butter, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, honey, grapefruit, and rosemary sprigs

Grapefruit-Rosemary Bread

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Wet Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
Zest from 1 large grapefruit
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

For the Glaze

1/8 to 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Making your grapefruit-rosemary bread

To quickly zest an entire grapefruit, a Microplane comes in very handy. You should get around 3 tablespoons of zest from a large fruit.

Overhead shot of bread ingredients laid out on a wooden cutting board, including a zested grapefruit, juiced grapefruit, and minced rosemary with a knife next to them

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.

A whisk mixing all the dry ingredients together in a bowl

In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs.

Two eggs cracked into a bowl with a whisk about to mix them

Whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter, and honey one at a time, until all the wet ingredients are well blended.

Add the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon/spatula until the batter is evenly mixed. It should only take a couple minutes of stirring to get a rich, even consistency.

A spoon mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients in a bowl

Stir in the grapefruit zest and rosemary.

A spoon mixing grapefruit zest and rosemary into a bowl of bread batter

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter, smoothing out the top so the batter is level.

Parchment-lined loaf pan filled with bread batter

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the grapefruit juice and as much powdered sugar as needed (around 1 cup, maybe more) to make a smooth, thin glaze.

Close-up of whisk mixing powdered sugar into a bowl of grapefruit juice

When the bread is done baking, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

Fresh baked grapefruit-rosemary bread in a parchment-lined pan, cooling on a rack
Grapefruit-rosemary loaf on a cooling rack

Lift the bread out of the pan and drizzle the glaze over the entire loaf, making sure to get all sides.

Grapefruit-rosemary bread loaf on a cooling rack with grapefruit glaze poured on top
A glazed loaf of grapefruit-rosemary bread garnished with grapefruit slices and a rosemary sprig on top

The glaze will harden in a few minutes, creating a tasty, tart crust. Slice and serve with your favorite coffee or tea!

Stylized overhead shot of grapefruit-rosemary bread on a speckled ceramic platter, sliced open with a knife next to the loaf
Close-up of grapefruit-rosemary bread texture
Yield: (1) 9-inch loaf

Grapefruit-Rosemary Bread

Grapefruit-rosemary bread

This is one of my favorite breakfast breads and tea pastries, so simple to whip up and pretty much foolproof. The tartness of the grapefruit is mellowed out by earthy rosemary, so the result is not too overwhelming on the palate.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Zest from 1 large grapefruit
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

For the Glaze

  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Zest grapefruit and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  3. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.
  4. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs.
  5. Whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter, and honey one at a time, until all the wet ingredients are well blended.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon/spatula until the batter is evenly mixed. 
  7. Stir in the grapefruit zest and rosemary.
  8. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter, smoothing out the top so the batter is level.
  9. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
  10. Make the glaze while the loaf is cooling. In a small bowl, whisk together the grapefruit juice and as much powdered sugar as needed (around 1 cup, maybe more) to make a smooth, thin glaze.
  11. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf.

Did you make this recipe?

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4 Comments

  1. anyone else’s bread (and dough) turn out more dry? when pouring it into the prepared loaf pan, it’s more of a clump…wondering why?

    1. This is more like a batter (akin to a very thick pancake batter) rather than a dough. There could be a few reasons why yours is turning into dough: 1) type of flour used (I use unbleached all-purpose flour), 2) measurement of flour (I don’t sift; I use the “scoop and sweep” method of measuring flour), or 3) method of mixing (you only need to use a large spoon to mix by hand). There is no kneading involved and the batter should be pourable, just as it shows in the picture above.

  2. This looks great.

    Being as I’m in Citrus-less land ( otherwise known as puddletown Oregon )
    How would you like to trade citrus for some of the great things I make? ( Smoked Steelhead/Salmon, Salami, other Charcuterie, pickles, jams, and liqueurs?)

    I”m really tired of reading all these awesome citrus recipes and not being able to wallk outside and pick some 🙂

    TToddd

    http://www.portlandcharcuterieproject.blogspot.com

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