Orange Bread (Bread maker)

This bread machine orange bread fills your kitchen with the scent of fresh citrus while it bakes. Orange juice and orange zest go right into the bread pan alongside bread flour, butter, and yeast for a soft, lightly sweet loaf with a subtle citrus flavor baked into every slice.

The orange zest is where most of the citrus punch comes from. The juice adds moisture and a gentle tartness, but it’s the zest’s essential oils that really perfume the bread. Use a microplane to grate only the bright orange outer layer, not the bitter white pith underneath.

This works on the rapid bake cycle, so you can have a fresh loaf in a fraction of the usual time. Load the dry ingredients first, add the liquids, drop the yeast in the holder, and walk away.

Kitchen Tips

• Use room-temperature orange juice and water. Cold liquids slow down the yeast and can result in a dense, under-risen loaf.
• Measure the bread flour by weight if your machine’s manual recommends it. Too much flour makes a dry, heavy bread.
• Check the dough ball during the first knead cycle. It should be smooth and slightly tacky. Add a tablespoon of water if it looks dry, or a tablespoon of flour if it’s too sticky.

Variations

• Add a handful of dried cranberries during the mix-in cycle for a cranberry orange loaf.
• Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon with the dry ingredients for a spiced orange bread.
• Drizzle a simple orange glaze (powdered sugar and orange juice) over the cooled loaf for a sweeter breakfast bread.