Easy Orange Bread
I adore easy orange bread for breakfast. Slice it up, toast it, and top it with butter and honey. Pure heaven in every bite!
Last Updated on October 27, 2024 – Originally Published February 12, 2011
Note that this bread mix was most recently tested with a Zojirushi BB-PAC20. (Learn more about what bread machines I own and recommend.) I’ve made this bread at sea level and at an elevation of 3,700 feet. It worked out fine at both altitudes.
This recipe is a variation on my favorite milk bread recipe.
I call it “Easy” orange bread because my milk bread recipe is a solid performer. I’ve even got high altitude directions for this one.
I love easy orange bread for breakfast. Slice it up. Toast it and top with butter and honey. Heaven!
Sweet or Sour Milk
I usually make this recipe with regular (sweet) milk. However, if you’d like a slightly tangy taste you can use sour milk.
What do I mean by sour milk? Traditionally, it’s milk that’s just a little past its use-by date. It has a tart taste and smells a little different.
If you don’t have sour milk, you can make it.
To make sour milk, add one tablespoon of vinegar to one cup of room-temperature milk. (Adjust amounts as needed for each recipe.) Stir and wait about 5 minutes. But remember, if you’re adding 1.5 tablespoons of vinegar, make sure to reduce the initial milk amount by the same 1.5 tablespoons to keep the balance just right.
You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to sour the milk.
Orange Zest
Note that this recipe calls for orange zest.
In talking with people I’m always surprised at how many people don’t have zesters. They’ll use a potato peeler or a cheese grater and it’s not an easy process.
It’s well worth it to get a proper zester. It saves you tons of time and trouble instead of trying to zest with a vegetable peeler.
Trust me, cheese graters are great for cheese. But for orange and lemon rinds, you need a zester.
How to Make Orange Bread
This recipe is for a 2 pound machine. Use the basic/regular setting of your bread machine with the regular crust setting.
Add the ingredients in the order recommended by your bread machine. I use a Zojirushi bread machine and with those the liquids go in first.
See all the orange zest in there?
Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. Open the top of the bread machine and look at the dough. It should be a smooth round ball. If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.
Again, look at that great orange zest!
High Altitude Instructions
Note that this recipe was tested and developed at sea level. If you’re above 3,000 feet you’ll need to make adjustments. I have a page that gives general information about using your bread machine at high elevations.
As I said, I first used this recipe when I lived at sea level. However, for a time I lived at an altitude of about 4,800 feet. After a lot of testing, I can now get a great loaf of milk bread at that elevation.
Here’s how I did it:
- Lowered the amount of yeast to 1 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast.
- I had better results using the light crust setting instead of the medium crust setting
- Always check the dough after it’s been kneading for a few minutes! About half the time I need to add a little more flour.
In a Hurry?
I normally use active dry yeast in this milk bread recipe.
If time is short, you can make this recipe with the quick cycle of your bread machine. If you do this, substitute the active dry yeast with three teaspoons of instant yeast, bread machine yeast or rapid rise yeast.
Easy Orange Bread Recipe
Note that this is for a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with medium crust.
1 ½ cups milk
4 cups bread flour
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons sugar
Zest from one orange, about 3 to 4 teaspoons
1 ½ Tablespoons oil
1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this easy orange bread recipe for the bread machine.
Easy Orange Bread
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (354.88 ml) milk
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons oil optional
- 1 ¾ teaspoons (1.75 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 teaspoons (3.5 teaspoons) Orange Zest this should be about the amount you'll get from zesting 1 medium orange
Instructions
- Note that this is for a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with medium crust.
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first.
- Make sure you check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. Just pop the top of the bread machine and see how the dough is doing. It should be a smooth, round ball. If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks OK. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks OK.
Notes
- Lower the amount of yeast to 1 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- I had better results using the light crust setting instead of the medium crust setting
- Always check the dough after it’s been kneading for a few minutes! About half the time I need to add a little more flour.
Metric Measurements: This recipe was developed and tested using US customary measurements. Metric measurements are calculated automatically.
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
can u switch some of milk with orange soda
That’s an interesting idea! I’ve experimented with soda in bread before, and the results … were not what I’d hoped.
For this recipe, I’d recommend sticking with the original ingredients for the best results.😊
Can you use orange flavoring instead of orange zest?
You can substitute orange extract for the zest, but the flavor will be a bit different since fresh zest has a brighter, more natural citrus taste.
I haven’t tried this myself. However, I’d start with about ½ teaspoon of orange extract (it’s much more concentrated than zest). You could go up to ¾ teaspoon if you want a stronger flavor. 😊
Can you substitute anything for the oil to make a fat free bread?
With this recipe you could try making it without any fat. I’ve done this on the milk bread recipe that inspired this recipe. I didn’t like it as much, but it was okay. If you do try it, please let me know how it turned out.
I have a question can you ad some orange juice to it?
I’ve never tried that, but it might work. You’d need to decrease the milk by the amount of juice used. I suspect the bread wouldn’t be as soft, but the orange flavor might make up for that. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
The sour milk version of the orange bread is outstanding! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m so glad you like it!