Nutrition

Orange Bread Loaf – The Best Homemade Recipe!

Featuring fresh orange juice and sweet orange zest, this classic orange bread recipe is bursting with bright citrus flavor!

Why is this the best orange bread?

The sweet taste of juicy orange bursts out with every bite.
Soft and soft bread crumbs Irresistibly moist and soft texture.
An easy one-bowl quick bread recipe that requires no yeast or stand mixer.
It’s rich in vitamin C and iron, low in fat and sodium, and has less than 150 calories per piece.
Frosted Orange Chunks make a great gift for friends or family. It tastes like orange cake.!
It’s a really great, healthy breakfast, weekend brunch, or light dessert.

Try the home-made strawberry bread

Step-by-step recipe video

Orange Bread Ingredients

Orange Juice – A glass of orange juice will add a delightful orange flavor to this recipe. For the most vibrant and best results, choose fresh, natural orange juice (with or without pulp). You can use a pinch of frozen orange juice prepared from concentrate.

flour – Quick loaf can be used with all-purpose white flour, whole grain spelled flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour. Using whole wheat flour and oat flour creates a dense bread. Avoid coconut flour as it has a dry, brittle texture.

If you want to substitute almond flour, I recommend this keto lemon bread recipe instead. (Simply swap out the lemon juice and zest in the orange recipe.)

sugar – Choose your favorite granular sweetener. Options that work well include traditional white sugar, unrefined turbinado or coconut sugar, date sugar, sugar-free xylitol, or a granular monk fruit blend.

Orange Zest – The recipe calls for a tablespoon of orange zest, or about 2 standard-sized oranges.

Vanilla Extract – Look for pure vanilla extract at the grocery store. The warm vanilla scent goes well with the summer sweetness of orange.

oil – I love the coconut oil here. Because it adds a bit of a tropical feel. You can also use butter or vegetable oil. I personally prefer the full-fat version, but many readers have used applesauce or mashed banana instead of oil and loved the results. So it’s up to you!

Optional eggs or flax – For an egg-free vegan bread, add 1 egg or 1 prepared flax egg. Or, try omitting the eggs altogether and increasing the amount of orange juice by 3 tablespoons.

Other Ingredients – You will also need baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Make sure these ingredients are not expired before measuring.

Use Leftover Oranges in Orange Smoothies

Katie’s Baking Tips and Tricks

Contains orange peel. Although it may seem like a small amount, zest is an important ingredient that enhances the flavor of oranges and should not be omitted.

Don’t waste your oranges after zesting the peel. Each orange should yield about 4 cups of fresh juice, which can also be used in recipes.

If you use coconut oil, make sure the other ingredients are not cold. The oil will solidify when exposed to cold orange juice, so allow the juice to come to room temperature before mixing all liquid ingredients.

Use the correct pan size. I tested this orange quick bread in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. If you bake in a pan that is too small, the bread may take longer to cook or may sink in the center. Likewise, using a pan that is too large can cause the bread to become flat, tough, and overcooked.

Add cranberries. One of my favorite variations is adding fresh cranberries. For a delightfully cozy cranberry bread, follow this cranberry orange bread recipe.

Add base glaze. Orange dessert is delicious on its own or spread with butter or cream cheese. However, glazing the recipe adds a cake-like flavor. Try this super simple icing: mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon orange juice. Or, frost the bread with store-bought or homemade cream cheese frosting.

How to Make Orange Cake Bread

First, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and optionally line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make it easy to remove the loaf after baking. Set this pan aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F or 176°C.
Place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to mix these ingredients evenly.
Now stir in the orange juice, orange zest, oil or butter, egg or flax egg and pure vanilla extract until the batter is evenly mixed. Don’t exaggerate.
Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold the quickbread batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the bread is puffed and lightly golden in color. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out almost clean.
Carefully remove the hot baking pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Then run a knife around the sides of the orange bread and flip it onto a serving plate. (Alternatively, you can cut slices directly from the pan.)
Eat right away, or cover the bread loosely and leave it on the counter overnight. If you wait patiently, both the taste and texture will be even better the next day!
Refrigerate any leftovers for more than a day, or slice into thin slices and freeze in an airtight container for optimal freshness. Thaw frozen quick breads before serving.

Recipe is from Vegan Lemon Loaf and Blueberry Bread.

*This recipe works well with spelled flour, all-purpose white flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour.
1. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and optionally line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
4. Add the orange juice, zest, oil, egg or flax egg, and pure vanilla extract and stir until evenly combined. Don’t beat the dough too much.
5. Spread into prepared pan and bake on center rack of oven for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown in center. A toothpick inserted into the center of the orange bread will come out mostly clean.
6. Once completely cooled, swirl the sides of the pan with a knife and place on a serving plate. (Or cut slices directly from the pan.)
7. Store leftovers loosely covered on the counter overnight. The taste and texture are even better the next day!
8. After one day, leftover food should be covered and refrigerated or frozen to ensure optimal freshness.