Favourite Sweet Orange Bread

Orange juice concentrate is the move in this loaf. Three tablespoons of the undiluted stuff packs the bright, tangy character of a dozen oranges into the dough without watering it down, the way fresh orange juice would. A grated half teaspoon of orange zest doubles up on the aroma with the citrus oils only the peel can deliver.

Applesauce stands in for some of the fat, keeping the loaf tender and moist for several days. Combined with the rapid-rise yeast, this bread machine bake comes out tall, soft, and lightly sweet, perfect for breakfast toast or French toast.

Nonfat dry milk enriches the dough and helps the crust brown to a deep golden color without adding extra liquid.

Load ingredients in the order your manual recommends, usually wet first, then dry, with the yeast last on the flour bed away from the salt and citrus acid. Rapid-rise yeast can sit closer to other ingredients but still benefits from staying separate until kneading begins.

Use the basic or sweet bread cycle, light to medium crust. The fruit sugars caramelize fast.

Pro Tips

• Thaw frozen orange juice concentrate but don’t dilute. The concentrated sweetness is doing the work here.
• Use a Microplane for the zest. Avoid the bitter white pith underneath.
• Toast slices and spread with cream cheese and a little honey for a citrus-bright breakfast.
• This bread makes phenomenal French toast. The orange amplifies during the egg-soak.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of dried cranberries at the mix-in beep for cranberry-orange depth.
• Stir in ¼ cup of toasted almond slivers for crunch and a bakery-style finish.
• Swap orange juice concentrate for tangerine or blood orange concentrate for a deeper citrus note.