Candied Orange Peel for Baking

Candied orange peel is a luxurious and aromatic addition to baked goods. Making your own is great value for effort because it's really simple but adds so much wow-factor to your baked goods.

Making candied orange peel for baking is really simple. There are a few technical points to be aware of that are outlined in this post but if you just want the recipe you can jump straight to the recipe card.

Candied orange peel for baking has slightly different requirements than candied orange peel you'd use in a cocktail for example.

The main difference is that when you use it for baking, you don't need to flavor it with anything additional so the ingredients can be kept simple - just orange peel and sugar. That makes life easier.

The other difference is that candied orange peel used for baking doesn't need to be coated in sugar once it's cooled. You can just dice it up and use it right away.

Recipe Details

This recipe is made with the skin of 3 naval oranges and 1.5 cups of simple syrup, made from a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water (1.5 cups sugar dissolved in 1.5 cups water).

With those quantities, the recipe makes about 4-5 tablespoons of candied orange peel. This is enough to give a very strong orange flavor to a dough made with 1 kg / 8 cups of flour.

If you don't need this much (or you need more), you can scale the recipe. Use about half of a cup of simple syrup for every orange.

As a byproduct of making candied orange peel, you will also end up with an orange simple syrup. It's nice to use for cocktails that call for orange syrup (like an old fashioned) or for baked goods that call for simple syrup. For example you can use orange simple syrup for baklava - just be sure you really like orange.

Instructions to make candied orange peel for baking

To make candied orange peel, start by peeling the oranges with a vegetable peeler. You can also use a sharp paring knife, but it is a bit more challenging to remove all the white pith, which can impart a bitter flavor and therefore should be fully removed.

If you are using a knife, make sure to pare very close to the orange skin so you can remove all the white pith as shown in the photo below.

Once the oranges are peeled, cut them into thin strips. I like to vary the width to give a bit more texture and nuance.

You can also make then very uniform if that's the effect you're going for.

Once you've thinly sliced the orange peels, add the sugar and water to a small saucepan. Stir them briefly and put over medium heat. Heat until the sugar crystals have dissolved and then add the orange peel.

Lower the heat to medium-low and set a timer for 30 minutes. This is enough time for the orange peel to soften. Too little time, and it will still be very firm. Too much time, and it will turn brown.

Once the orange peel is sufficiently soft, remove it to a rack to drain the excess syrup. Once cooled, you can dice it up finely for use in baking.

You can also make the candied orange peel ahead of time (up to a day in advance) and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

When ready to use, add the orange peel in whatever way you want to use it. If adding to a dough, mix into the dough after the initial mixing and gluten development has happened.

You can also use candied orange peel as a filling for baked goods. For example along with chocolate in a babka.

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Recipe