Orange Juice Bread is a delicious quick bread recipe made with orange juice! This delicious bread is easy to make and has the most amazing orange flavor, especially with the simple orange glaze on top.
Orange Juice Bread is a favorite recipe at our house – it has such a refreshing orange flavor and only takes a few minutes to mix up. All of the ingredients in the recipe are very common pantry staples. Adding a bit of orange juice to a simple glaze is the perfect topping for this sweet, quick bread recipe.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST QUICK BREADS
There are a couple of tips that will help you to get the perfect pineapple quick bread every time!
- Make sure to use the right bread pans! The recipe for this quick bread is written for a regular sized bread pan which is 9.5″X5″. You can use two smaller pans if you’d like, just adjust the cooking time to about 40-45 minutes.
- If you use non-stick pans, you won’t want to use any cooking spray, but if you are not using non-stick pans, make sure to use a baking spray like this one or line the pans with parchment paper so your bread doesn’t get stuck to the pan! There is nothing worse than making a beautiful loaf of bread and having the whole thing fall apart when you try to get it neatly out of the pan!
- Make sure to test the middle of the bread at the end of the cooking time – I like to use one of these for that! If your bread is still gooey in the middle, bake for a few more minutes. If the edges and the top are starting to look too brown and the middle isn’t done yet, go ahead and put some foil over the bread for the last few minutes of baking until the bread is done in the center. This will prevent the outside from burning, but still allow the middle to cook all the way through.
Ingredients in Orange Juice Bread
Butter – Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature (not melted) before adding to the batter.
Sugar – Regular granulated sugar adds the sweetness to this bread recipe.
Eggs – Beat with a fork before adding to the batter.
Flour -All-purpose flour works great in this recipe.
Baking powder and salt – Make sure your baking powder isn’t old or expired!
Orange juice – Can use any type of orange juice. Freshly squeezed or the kind in the bottle from the store – either works great!
Milk – I use 2% because that is what is in my fridge, but you can use a dairy-free milk if you prefer. Any type of milk will work fine!
Lemon and orange zest – You can leave the lemon zest out, and double up on the orange zest, but I like the flavors of both. Use a fine grater to zest the orange and lemon peel – it’s so easy to do, and adds so much flavor to the recipe!
How to make Orange Juice Bread
Preheat oven to 325°.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add in the orange juice and the milk, mixing just until combined. Stir in the lemon and orange zest.
Pour the batter into a greased 9X5″ pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle the glaze on top.
How to make a simple orange glaze
Mix melted butter, powdered sugar, orange juice and a little more orange zest in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Add a little bit of milk if you want a runnier glaze. Drizzle over the top of the cooled bread.
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
Orange Juice Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup milk
- zest from one lemon
- zest from one orange
Orange Juice Bread Glaze
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
- orange zest (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add in the orange juice and the milk, mixing just until combined. Stir in the lemon and orange zest.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9X5" pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle the glaze on top.
How to make a simple orange glaze
- Mix melted butter, powdered sugar, orange juice and a little more orange zest in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Add a little bit of milk (or orange juice) if you want a runnier glaze. Drizzle over the top of the cooled bread.
CAN QUICK BREAD BE MADE INTO MUFFINS?
Any quick bread recipe can easily be converted into a muffin recipe! Make the batter as indicated and then pour into a greased muffin pan. This orange juice bread recipe will yield 12 regular sized muffins or 24 mini muffins. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. The easiest way to make muffins is using a cookie scoop. A large scoop works perfectly for large muffins and a smaller cookie scoop works great for mini muffins – no more messy pouring or trying to get the exact same amount in each well of the muffin tin!
CAN YOU FREEZE QUICK BREAD?
Quick bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure the bread is completely cooled before wrapping the entire loaf in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped bread in aluminum foil or in a freezer bag. To thaw, leave in plastic and set at room temperature until completely thawed through. Add the glaze after thawing the bread, right before serving.
IS QUICK BREAD HEALTHY?
Quick breads generally have a high sugar content, but there are things you can do to make the bread a little bit healthier.
- Reduce the sugar.
- Skip the glaze. This bread is delicious without the glaze – I promise!
- Swap all or part of the flour with whole wheat flour. This swap is one that will be noticeable, especially if you swap all of the flour. The consistency will be different and the flavor will change, but it will still be yummy!
BEST BREAD PAN?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
MORE AMAZING QUICK BREAD RECIPES THAT WE LOVE:
- Sweet Coconut Quick Bread
- Best Zucchini Bread recipe
- Easy Lemon Quick Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread recipe
- Dutch Apple Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread
- Caramel Apple Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread
- Peppermint Chocolate Quick Bread
- Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
- Glazed Strawberry Quick Bread
Orange Juice Bread is a delicious quick bread recipe made with orange juice! This delicious bread is easy to make and has the most amazing orange flavor, especially with the simple orange glaze on top.
Lameka says
Sounds like great recipes can’t wait to try them
Nellie says
Glad you’re here Lameka!
Debby says
Mine center sunk too. Stuck a tooth pick in it and the pick came out clean.
Very disappointed.
Any other suggestions.
Nellie says
Bummer! There are a few reasons that quick bread sinks in the middle. Sometimes it’s because the pan was overfilled (or rather that you used a slightly smaller than normal bread pan?), or sometimes it’s because the batter was mixed too much. You really only want to mix the dry and wet ingredients together just barely enough to mix together. Overmixing the batter is the most common culprit for sinking quick bread. Also, make sure that your baking powder isn’t expired or even getting close to the expiration date. Hopefully that helps!
Kathy B says
I loved this bread! Sometimes citrus breads don’t taste much like citrus – this one does. I also made an orange honey butter to go with it.
Laura says
Can u put this bread in a coffee cake pan?
Nellie says
I’m guessing that would work fine, just make sure to reduce the cooking time a bit. Depending on the size of the pan, the cook time would probably be closer to 30-35 minutes, so keep a close eye on it!
Gail says
Made this today. It was delicious and I will certainly make this again!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Gail!
Rachel says
Can you use fresh squeezed orange juice or is it from concentrate?
Nellie says
I used regular orange juice from the store but fresh squeezed orange juice would work great too!
Doreen Darmain says
Made this bread yesterday. Delicious. It is a keeper and will definitely make again and very easy to make.
Alison says
Thank you Doreen! I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Paula wendland says
The center sunk in😩 any suggestions.? I followed directions
Jessica says
It sounds like the center of your bread wasn’t quite cooked. You can double check this by using a cooking thermometer- it should register 195-200°F.
Devorah says
Absolutely delicious! My 12 year old woke in middle of the night to take care of his ileostomy and smelled this cooling on the table. His body doesn’t digest citrus fruit and he said the smell made him want to taste it even though it might hurt. He ate 2 orange juice cupcakes and his body did not react!! He ate 2 more the next day to make sure it’s okay and safe for him to eat and it is! Thanks for a food he can eat and enjoy! And we all enjoyed from what he left for us!
Nellie says
So glad you (and your son!) enjoy the bread!
Louise says
Yes, I made the Orange Juice Bread 2 different times, it sunk both times. My husband and I ate the bread which was delicious but I wouldn’t take it out to church events or to friends. Appearance of the bread not good. Thanks for sharing.
Nellie says
I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you! Often, quick bread sinks in the middle because it was overmixed so maybe that’s the problem?
Judy says
Delicious bread! Thank you for the recipe.
Donna says
I love making sweet breads. This is a wonderful recipe. I split the batter into 2 7×5 loaf pans. We finished one after lunch. This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
arlene yaklyvich says
Loved the bread, but my bread sunk in the middle, will try again because it is so tasty, this time I won’t over mix.
Letitia Pepper says
I’ve made lots of quick breads before, and this recipe is great. Another person commented that sometime citrus breads don’t taste very citrus-y, but this one did.
But to be sure it tastes its best, do not skip the orange zest, and also use the glaze. I can usually resist eating more than one piece of what I make, before I give plates away to friends, but I ate three slices of this one, and the neighbors loved it. The recipe is definitely “a keeper.”
DEANNE says
I made this in 12 reg muffins tonight. Very good! I’m looking for something more tart than sweet so may try all orange zest next time. Have you ever made them in Jumbo Muffin tins? If so, how many did it make and how long did you bake them for?
Donna says
I made this start of September 2020 and still making it a few times a month. It’s delicious abd easy to make. Love this recipe
Sandy Harper says
Love this recipe! I have made it multiple times and it always disappears!