Really Quick Orange Marmalade Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

How to make marmalade step by step? ›

What's the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? Because of the tartness of a Seville orange, the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade is 2:1. This recipe calls for 2kg of sugar and 1kg of oranges but you can scale it down or up using that ratio.

Once the citrus peel is boiled, the pectin is leached into the cooking liquid. This cooking liquid now contains all the pectin you need to set your marmalade and acts as a conduit to dissolve the sugar you need to add to sweeten it properly. Without pectin, you'd just have orange-flavored syrup.

After about 5 mins the marmalade will start to rise up the pan (it may drop back and then rise again) and larger bubbles will cover the surface. After 8-10 mins boiling, test for setting point. Times will vary according to the size of the pan – in a large pan this takes 7-8 mins, in other pans it may take 12-15 mins.

To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.

The final secret in producing a sweet marmalade is to boil the orange peels several times to leach out the bitterness. You do lose a tiny little bit of the orange flavor this way – but trust me, you will still have plenty of orange flavor in the final product.

As I noted above, almost all fruit contains some acid, but I always add lemon juice to a jam mixture to ensure the acidity is high enough for gelling and food safety (and because I like the flavor).

Tie the muslin square into a little bag and add it to the bowl. Make sure everything is immersed in the water. Leave to soak overnight or for several hours if possible. This helps to extract pectin from the fruit and soften the peel, which will reduce the amount of cooking.

Reducing the sugar in the recipe means a slacker, not set consistency and the marmalade could have a shorter shelf life. The trend normalising “soft set” as acceptable is a misleading way of saying the marmalade is set. The correct consistency is gelled, similar to a that of a jelly preserve.

White granulated sugar makes a brighter marmalade, whereas golden creates a richer coloured preserve and offers a delicious, caramel flavour.

Can I use brown sugar when making marmalade? ›

Slice the oranges and cut them in pieces. Weigh the pulp, in order to determine how much sugar you'll have to add while cooking. We suggest 500 gr of brown sugar per kilo of pulp. Of course, you can add more or less sugar, depending on the sweetness degree you prefer for your marmalade.

Lemons contain a very high amount of pectin, which naturally sets and thickens the marmalade. If your marmalade is too thick for your liking after it cools, then it's likely that too much water evaporated as it simmered, and you can just add a bit more water for a more spoonable consistency.

Turn the heat up and boil rapidly until the marmalade reaches setting point – a sugar thermometer will be helpful here (start checking when it reaches 104C) but to confirm this, put a teaspoonful of the marmalade on to a cold saucer and put in the fridge for a minute or so.

Take the plate out and push your finger through the liquid part. If it “wrinkles” and looks like, well, set jelly, you know the marmalade is ready. Out of all the temperature readings or eye-sight cues out there for judging the doneness of marmalade, I've found the plate test to be the only truly effective one.

Use Valencia oranges if you can find them – if not, regular navel oranges are fine too. The main secret in producing a sweet (instead of bitter) marmalade is to reduce the amount of white pith, seeds, and membranes.

A Marmalade to Make

When it comes time to cook the oranges with sugar and water, it can be helpful to add the juice of a whole lemon, which contains pectin, to help the jelly set. Once the nappe point is reached (when the syrup coats the back of a spoon nicely), the hot marmalade is ready to be jarred.

Pectin occurs naturally in fruit and it is this pectin that helps marmalade to set.

Traditionally, marmalade is made from bitter Seville oranges from Spain or Portugal, but other citrus fruits like grapefruit, lemons, and kumquats are also used. Marmalade is versatile and can be used in sauces, baked goods, and dishes like duck, in addition to being spread on toast.