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Orange Bread

A slice of orange bread is the perfect treat for breakfast or coffee break. Delicious on its own but addictive with a generous layer of butter and your favorite jam!

Orange Bread

This orange bread is a yeast-free loaf which means there is no kneading nor proofing required. So if you are looking for a hassle-free citrusy sweet bread recipe, this is it.

My other favorite citrus bread recipe is Lemon Lavender Loaf. If you top it with candied lemon slices it would make a great gift for the Holidays.

Other tasty quick bread recipes include Honey Cranberry Bread or Poppy Seed Banana Bread. They too have easy preparation with no kneading required.

How to make Orange Bread Step 1

How to make Orange Bread

Get a large bowl and beat the eggs with sugar until pale. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Once done, add in zest from one orange, orange juice and butter.

Give it a quick mix. Use a spatula at this stage as using an electric mixer would turn messy. It only needs a quick stir.

How to make Orange Bread Step 2

How to make Orange Bread Step 3

When done, add flour and baking powder. Now it’s important that these two have been sifted and mixed together beforehand.

Now give everything a mix with the electric mixer until all ingredients are well combined and form thick-ish batter.

How to make Orange Bread Step 4

How to make Orange Bread Step 5

Pour this into a loaf tin that you have lined with baking parchment.

Baking this orange loaf cake takes about 1 hour. To make sure this orange bread is ready just insert a wooden skewer or toothpick inside and when it comes out clean you can take it out.

How to make Orange Bread Step 6

Extra tips

  • If you want to gift this orange bread to your loved ones, go the extra step and garnish the top with candied orange slices. Dipped in chocolate or sugar they are the perfect topping for this tasty bread.
  • To check for doneness always insert the wooden skewer/toothpick in the middle of the loaf as it can be done around the edges while still raw in the middle.
  • Note that the baking time may slightly vary depending on the type of oven you have.
  • Because you are using zest from the orange I recommend buying organic oranges.
  • Try adding finely chopped candied orange peel to the batter for the extra citrusy flavor and different texture.

Orange Bread Loaf

This orange bread recipe is based on a recipe from an old cook book called Bread, Cakes & Biscuits by Mary Norwak. I made some changes to the original recipe. Reducing the amount of sugar was one of them as the original orange bread was way too sweet to my liking.

My version has just the right amount of sugar in it. I think it’s better adding more sweetness by spreading it with honey or jam rather than having a loaf that is way too sweet on its own.

Sliced Homemade Orange Bread

This is an old post that has been updated with new photos and more detailed instructions and tips as well as recipe card with measurements in cups and grams.

Want to see how to make Orange Bread? Watch the video!

Homemade Orange Bread
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5 from 27 votes

Orange Bread

A slice of orange bread is the perfect treat for breakfast or coffee break. Delicious on its own but addictive with a generous layer of butter and your favorite jam!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 1 Loaf (about 12 slices)
Calories: 251
Author: Julia

Ingredients

  • 2 Eggs (small-medium)
  • 1½ cup Granulated Sugar (5.3 ounces/150 grams)
  • Orange Zest (from 1 orange)
  • 3 Medium Oranges , juice only (See note 2)
  • 1 stick Unsalted Butter , softened (2.8 ounces/110 grams)
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (10.6 ounces/300 grams)
  • 3 teaspoons Baking Powder

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the eggs with sugar until smooth and pale.
  • Add orange zest, freshly squeezed orange juice and softened butter. Mix with the electric mixer.
  • Sift in the flour and baking powder (mix these two ingredients beforehand) and mix well with the mixer. Pour the batter into a loaf tin (10x4 inch/25x10 cm) lined with baking paper.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F/190°C for 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  • When ready, take out from the oven pour some more orange juice over the loaf. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before transferring onto a wired rack. Let cool completely.

Notes

  1. All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
  2. You will need to get ½ cup (120 ml) of orange juice for the batter + about ¼ cup (60 ml) for pouring over the baked bread. 3 medium oranges (150 grams each) should be plenty but if you have oranges that are rather dry on the inside you might need one extra.
  3. The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven.
  4. For more tips I recommend reading also the text above recipe card.
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Orange Bread from Scratch, Orange Bread Recipe, Quick Bread
Nutrition Facts
Orange Bread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 251 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 47mg16%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Sugar 25g28%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 275IU6%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
** Happy Foods Tube is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com.
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Comments

  1. Jane says

    “TIP:
    1.As mentioned above, for an extra orangey flavor pour freshly squeezed orange juice right after it has been taken out the oven.”

    I’m sorry but, it sounds like you’d have me pour the bread over some juice? Am I supposed to squeeze some additional juice and pour it on top of the loaf, and if so, how much??

    Reply

    • Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

      Hi Jane,

      Thanks for your comment. Sometimes, when English is not one’s first language these misunderstandings happen. I apologize if I did not make it clear enough. Yes, I meant to pour the additional juice on top of the loaf. The amount is entirely up to you. I suggest 1/3 – 1/2 cup. Hope this helped.

      Reply

  2. Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

    Hi Nancy. I am sorry to hear that you felt this way. I had no intention to be rude. I included ounces (imperial measurements) right away after her comment but I also mentioned how to convert when it comes to cups in case she was interested in those. To avoid any confusion with conversion I even explained the way to do it, in case it was needed.
    I do not include cups measurements in my recipes as the size of cups vary from country to country and I don’t want to confuse anyone. Again, I apologize for the way it came out. Julia.

    Reply

  3. JUAN CARLOS FANCHIN says

    Hello, Good recipe and easy to make
    But I would like to know the dimensions of the mold.

    THANK YOU

    Reply

  5. SG says

    Hi Julia,
    The cake looks delicious. Could you please tell the exact amount (ml) of juice used in the recipe?
    Thanks.

    Reply

  6. Neira says

    Hi Julia, I have baked your cake saturday and instead of the normal flour i used gluten free self raising flour but kept everything else as per your recipe and the result was amazing.

    Most of my family is gluten free intolerant and they were all happy with the results… i only managed to eat one slice they finished all off.

    Recipe is very easy to follow, dont understand some question that people make.

    Very happy… Thanks!!5 stars

    Reply

  8. Betsy says

    I love this recipe. I have made it several times. I sometimes make a glaze with confectioners sugar, orange juice and a little butter or cream cheese to drizzle on top. So delicious!

    I usually don’t use metric measures, but have a kitchen scale, so it was easy to follow, nonetheless.5 stars

    Reply

  9. Beth Neels says

    Orange is so delicious in baked goods! And, you just can’t get any better than a quick bread! So easy and so delicious!5 stars

    Reply

  10. ali randall says

    I make a similar bread using grapefruits. I will have to try this recipe with oranges. This sounds like the perfect bread for gifting this holiday season.5 stars

    Reply

  12. Allison says

    I would love a slice of this with my coffee right now. It looks perfect! Trying it soon. :)5 stars

    Reply

  13. Stephanie says

    I love orange flavors in baked goods. It just gives it a ton of flavor without adding a lot sugar. This loaf would be perfect for breakfast or snacking. Yum!5 stars

    Reply

  15. Annissa says

    These is such a gorgeous bread recipe! I can smell the orange flavor from the photos! Yum!5 stars

    Reply

  17. Marlene says

    Very easy recipe . I made a mistake following the first instructions where it says to mix the eggs and butter, my fault for not scrolling down where everything was perfect. It is baking right now.

    Reply

  18. Suzanne says

    Having brought fresh oranges back home from our tree in FL, I was looking for recipes to use them in. This was PERFECT! I used a little extra zest, but everything else just as written – this is a keeper for sure! I wonder if it would freeze well?5 stars

    Reply

  19. Anne says

    Hi :-) I made this orange bread and the taste was great, but it turned out to be dense and rather hard.

    What did I do wrong? Overmix it? It was sunken in the middle too..

    Also, I was wondering if 3 teaspoons of baking powder had to do with it? Could I use less next time?

    Thank you for your help!5 stars

    Reply

    • Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

      Hi Anne! There can be many reasons for the bread to turn dense and sunken in the middle. Overmixing can be one of them. Also, did you use 1/2 cup of orange juice as instructed? Adding more liquid to batter can cause the “sinking”. I don’t recommend reducing the amount of baking powder used. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  20. Tina says

    This orange bread is delicious! I used 4 of the smaller Satsuma oranges and got 1/2 cup juice for the dough and about 1/4 cup to pour over the top, just as you recommended. The only issue I had was the bread started to burn around the edges while still not being quite done in the middle. I think my oven runs a little hot so I’ll be turning it down a little next time. Can’t wait to try your Lemon Lavender Loaf next!5 stars

    Reply

    • Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

      Thanks so much for your feedback, Tina! Every oven is (unfortunately) different so sometimes it can be challenging when baking something for the first time. Hope lowering the temp will work for you. Happy baking! :)

      Reply

  21. Jack Roseman says

    I made this cake yesterday. It fell in the middle probably from too much stomping around in the the kitchen. I remember my mother chasing me out of the kitchen when I was a kid so her cakes didn’t “fall”. I think you should change the directions about adding the juice to “add 1/2 cup of the juice to the batter” in case someone skips the notes and adds the whole 3/4 of a cup. Also is it zest from 1 orange or 1/2 orange? Ingredients list says whole orange, directions say to add zest from 1/2 Orange I used zest from a whole small orange. It was fine. Also my oranges weren’t super sweet so I added some honey to the juice that I poured over the cake.
    We all agreed it was delicious. Thank You.5 stars

    Reply

  22. LizD says

    Perfect gift recipe. I plumped dried cranberries in orange juice and added to batter. I also added them to the top of the loaf. Beautiful! Another gift could have orange icing dripped on top.5 stars

    Reply

  23. Charlotte Orr says

    Can you use self rising flour and if you can then you don’t put in the salt and baking soda, correct? Or am I wrong?

    Reply

  24. Susan Davies says

    Made your orange cake and it turned out lovely except it was a little dry.I work in grams instead of cups and on my conversion chart it converted 2 cups of all purpose flour to 240 grams instead of 300 grams do you think this could be what made it slightly dry.I will make again and try adjusting the flour.Many thanks for the recipe.5 stars

    Reply

    • Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

      Hi Susan. I recommend using my conversion when they are provided as I convert them myself and they are more accurate. However, using less flour should not cause the bread turn dry. Did you use enough orange juice? Did you pour the remaining orange juice over the baked bread? That usually helps. Another think that could have caused it is the altitude you live at. It affects baking in many ways – i.e. liquids evaporate faster so it would be worth having a look at it, if that is your case. This recipe was developed at a sea level. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  25. Carly says

    Mine sank in the middle too, but the taste is absolutely amazing! So delicious! I will make this again this weekend.5 stars

    Reply

    • Julia | Happy Foods Tube says

      Thanks for your feedback, Carly! I am not sure what the problem can be: The most common reasons for cakes to sink in the middle are: an over-filled cake tin, over-mixing the batter or high oven temperature. Try reduce the oven temp slightly and use a large loaf tin if you have one. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  26. Jenni says

    I’ve made this bread now twice. It is absolutely delicious. Mine doesn’t split at the top but still wonderful. I used blood oranges the first time and navel oranges today. When cooled I’m slicing and taking plates to friends. I made 2 loaves today.
    .

    Reply

  27. Tanya says

    Hi Julia,

    I very rarely leave comments on recipes that I try. But your orange bread is so delicious, I could not leave it unsaid. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I am making it again today – but 2 loaves instead of one. One is gobbled up too quickly :)

    Best,
    Tanya5 stars

    Reply

  28. Wern says

    I just made this orange cake. I used 1 cup All-Purpose-Flour and 1 cup Whole Wheat Bread Flour. For the topping, I mixed the juice with some butter and pour it onto the cake. The cake is moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

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