Orange Marmalade

Not as sweet as most jams, but delicious citrus flavor, and just a hint of bitterness, this orange marmalade is my favorite to make in the winter and have on a fresh slice of sourdough.

Orange Jam vs. Orange Marmalade

The main difference between orange jam and orange marmalade is that marmalade has the peel inside where as jam does not.

How do you take the bitterness out of marmalade?

You can’t really “take out” the bitterness once it is made. However, if you scrape out enough of the pith from the peel before slicing the peel I personally don’t find it to be too bitter. But if you are concerned about the bitterness you can use a vegetable peeler to only take a thin layer of the peel off and slice that rather than scraping the inside. Then place the remainder in the satchel.

How long does marmalade keep?

If you can/jar it properly with sterilized jars and get a proper seal, marmalade can last for a few years. However, if you aren’t making that much, as long as you put it in a clean jar and store it in the fridge, it should last for a month or two.

Additional Recipes to try:

• Chocolate Orange Buttermilk Scones
• Lemon Poppyseed Cake – try this with blood orange zest and juice!
• Cream and Jam filled doughnuts – use orange marmalade in the filling for a fun twist!

Tips for making Blood Orange Marmalade

• If you’re using blood oranges and want that red orange color, be sure to pick blood oranges with a darker skin. The ones that are paler and look more like a traditional orange tend to have lighter insides.
• If you’re worried about bitterness, use a peeler to peel only the outermost layer of the rind from the oranges before squeezing out the juice and then slice that to add into the marmalade.
• Jam or marmalade is best made in a heavy pot to prevent burning. I like to use a coated cast iron dutch oven because you don’t have to worry about the acidity from the oranges messing with the cast iron. Plus the tall sides of the pot keep the juices from splattering out.
• Making marmalade isn’t hard but it can be time consuming so I recommend making it with a minimum of 2 lbs of oranges or even doubling the recipe.
• I use less sugar than most in this recipe because I like to really taste the orange but it does mean you have to cook it longer and reduce it more. If you get impatient or feel that it isn’t sweet enough you can add more sugar. Just make sugar the sugar has fully cooked in and dissolved before taking it off the heat.

Ingredients

• Blood Oranges (regular oranges will work too): Blood oranges or regular oranges will work for this marmalade but I love the color and taste of blood oranges while they’re in season.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is what is used in most jam recipes and is what I used in this marmalade. I haven’t tested any sugar alternatives/different type of sugar so I’m not sure if they would work or not.
• Water: Water is added in to have extra liquid to soften the orange peel, tap water or filtered water both work.

How to make a Blood Orange Marmalade

Prep the oranges

• Wash all the oranges.
• Slice in half and squeeze out all of the juice. Make sure no pulp gets mixed in but if it does, simply strain it out with a sieve. Pour the juice into the heavy pot and set aside.
• Use a serrated edged spoon or a fork to remove the insides of each orange half. You want to scrape out as much of the white pith of the orange as possible and leave only the orange rind. Keep what you scrape out and place it in a cheesecloth or thin towel.
• Tie the orange “guts” in the cheesecloth with a piece of twine so that none of it can escape and put it in the pot with the juice.
• Pour the water into the pot with the juice and the satchel of guts.
• Cut each scraped out orange half, in half so you are left with quarters. Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the peel of 2/3 of the oranges into strips no wider than 1/8″. Really just as thin as you can.
• Add the sliced peel into the pot.
• Place the pot over medium low heat and bring it to a simmer. Stir occasionally but simmer until 1/3-1/2 of the liquid has evaporated and the peel is floppy. Think cooked noodle kind of floppy.

Adding the Sugar

• Place a plate and a spoon in your freezer.
• Once simmered and reduced, remove the pot from the heat. Carefully, without burning yourself, remove the satchel form the syrupy juice and squeeze out any extra liquid. The insides can now be discarded and the cloth can be washed.
• Pour the sugar into the pot and stir to combine.
• Place the pot back over medium heat, allow it to come to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning.
• Marmalade can be tricky to tell that it’s done because it still looks very runny when hot. It will need to boil for a bit (usually 15-20 minutes but could be more) and reduce quite a bit more.
• To test if the marmalade is ready, use the cold spoon to spoon some of the marmalade onto the frozen spoon and place it in the fridge for 2-3 minutes. The difference between done and over reduced can happen quickly so lower the heat while waiting for the result.
• After 2-3 minutes, the jam should either keep a line shape on the plate if you drag your finger through it or it will form a thin skin on the surface that wrinkles when you drag your finger through.
• Once cooked down, pour the marmalade into heat safe jars. Allow them to come to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

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