Orange Bread
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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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (small-medium)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (5.3 ounces/150 grams)
- orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 3 oranges , juice only (see note 2)
- 1 stick unsalted butter , softened (4 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 (10×4 inch/25×10 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 and pour some more orange juice over the loaf. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before transferring onto a wired rack. Let cool completely.
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
- 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.
- The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven.
- For more tips I recommend reading also the text above the recipe card.
Do I pour the 1/4 cup of orange juice on top of the loaf right after taking it out of the oven or wait a bit?
Hi Rita. Right after!
I have made this bread twice now, because the first attempt the bread did not rise as in you photos. The bread is delicious! But why did it not rise as in your photos? I know that I followed your recipe exactly.
Hi. I have to say I am not sure what the problem could be here. All I can think of that the oven was too hot? Perhaps, next time try to reduce the temperature slightly and see if it helps!
My husband loves the Orange loaf. I felt it tasted good, but I was expecting a smoother texture similar to pound cake. My sister said it was because my eggs and butter were not at room temperature so the batter got grainy. My eggs cold from the fridge and I melted the butter in the microwave. So next time I’ll take the butter out the night before and use fresh laid eggs that don’t need refrigeration.
Hi Esther. I am not sure how “grainy” your loaf tasted but please let us know if the room temperature ingredients improved its texture.