Orange Loaf, Lemon Loaf and Lemon Rolls. Clearly I’ve got citrus on the brain. And on my countertop. My Dad planted quite a few citrus trees when I was in middle school, and 20+ years later (okay, more than 20, but let’s not count), he always has a LOT of citrus to give away. And being the helpful daughter that I am, I’ve taken some off his hands. To make things like yummy orange loaf bread.
While I love recipes like this orange loaf, I’m not a big citrus person. Prior to the house my Dad lives in now, we had a house that had about seven mature grapefruit trees. We are talking massive trees that produced grapefruit the size of an eight year old child’s head. By the hundreds. And let me tell you, as a child I picked up MANY of those beastly grapefruit. Anyone who grew up in Arizona knows what I’m talking about. And if there is a citrus deterrent program, that is it. It’s like scared straight, citrus fruit edition.
To this day the smell of grapefruit still gets to me. Thankfully, my Dad had his fill of grapefruit, so now it’s oranges, lemons, limes, tangelos and whatever else he was crossbreeding. He was making GMO fruit long before it was trendy. Or not trendy to be a bit more accurate. He’d cut and splice trees together and they still grow to this day. Pretty cool actually. I should see about getting myself a Lim-on tree.
So orange loaf. Oh my, this orange loaf is delicious. I know I just made a lemon loaf, but in my world, bread and muffins are just a go to for baking. They are easy, very forgiving when it comes to the recipes, they freeze wonderfully and they are delicious. I could probably make a new loaf of quick bread or batch of muffins every day. Oh, wait, I have ridiculously picky eaters for children, so scratch that. I make the same recipes over, and over and over.
This easy orange loaf is so DELICIOUS. The orange is not over powering, and for me, is just right. I adapted this recipe from from an Orange Pound Cake from Barefoot Contessa. The fact that the oranges were actually picked fresh from out back (okay, not my out back, but my kin’s) totally made me feel like I could pull off Ina. Let me just waltz out in a crisply ironed shirt and some wrinkle free linen pants, with some east coast sea wind in my hair, and grab those oranges, while being fabulous. Well, not really, I mean jeans and a stained t-shirt, with my oranges in a plastic grocery bag is probably not exactly her style, but close enough.
I replaced half the butter in this orange loaf recipe with Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is my go to swap when I see a bread recipe call for a cup of butter or a cup of oil. I’ve yet to find a bread that can’t lose half that oil/butter and work just wonderfully with Greek yogurt in it’s place. I use plain Greek yogurt, but you can use vanilla or even something like orange for this. I also reduced the sugar called for in the recipe and skipped the orange syrup. I was trying to go for more of a “bread” than a cake with this, but I’m sure her recipe is insanely delicious just as it is, this version is just a bit lighter (though we aren’t exactly talking health food here, even with those oranges!).
ORANGE LOAF
Orange Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt plain, vanilla or even an orange flavor
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup grated orange zest about six oranges
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice divided
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray two loaf pans with non stick cooking spray. I prefer to line mine with foil first.
- In a mixer, combine butter, Greek yogurt and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each egg. Add in orange zest and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add half of the dry mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, and stir until just combined. Add orange juice, vanilla and 1/2 of the buttermilk to the mixture and stir until just combined. Add the remaining dry mixture, stirring until just combined, followed by the remaining buttermilk, stirring until just combined.
- Divide the batter between both loaf pans. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- If desired you can make a glaze of 3 cups powdered sugar and 3-5 tablespoons orange juice to drizzle over the top of your loaves. Just mix the two together in a bowl until you get the consistency t you want. More liquid to make it thinner, more powdered sugar to make it thicker. I like to add a few drops of vanilla and a sprinkle of salt to give the flavor a bit more depth. It works best to pour the glaze on while the bread is still warm, but out of the pan (otherwise you can end up with your bread a bit stuck in the pan).
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Enjoy! I hope you enjoy this orange loaf bread recipes as much as I did!
Pin Easy Orange Loaf Bread Recipe
Susie says
This is a WINNER recipe. I first made it in our mandatory confinement last year and sent the recipe to my whole family who also made it and loved it. I have made it sooooo many times since then and absolutely love it. Thank you for such an amazing recipe. I also did not modify the recipe. Except I followed your suggestion and a few different times used a flavoured greek yogurt (peach or mango), thought I have done natural as well. And the last two times I added some extra orange essential for a bit more flavour. Depending on what oranges I get, some have more flavour than others. Thank you!
cranky says
OMG so much writing for a loaf recipie i read the bible faster! just give recipie not life story its boring
Christi says
Patricia Werner, feel free to just scroll down to the free recipe, it works great and is really easy. If that’s too much trouble, I might suggest a site like AllRecipes, which is just a conglomerate of recipes. This is my personal blog you came to visit, not an anonymous recipe generator. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the bread!
Erin says
Just made this and it cooled enough to try a slice…which turned into two slices and may turn into hide this please it is so delicious! I followed the recipe to a T, no adjustments other than one baked longer than the other. I did use organic oranges from my mother’s orchard which might have added to the amazingness of this bread. Thank you for the recipe!
Christi says
So glad you liked this!
Kelly says
I have a question and a suggestion:
Question: the 1/4 C orange juice is divided – but it doesn’t specify how much is going in the cake – does it end up being 1/4 C less 3-5 T used in the glaze?
Suggestion: to bump up the orange flavor – and to possibly not need the full amount of zest, simply zest the orange into a bowl and use the back of a spoon the make a “paste” and then squeeze the oranges into that same bowl and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I do this with my lemon loaves/cakes and it is simply amazing!!! Do a little extra and reserve some for the glaze!!
Monica says
Just made this – it’s very delicious! I was unsure how I’d like orange bread…but it’s so good! Thanks for the recipe!!
Ashley says
Great recipe! Just made it and followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! Thanks ?
Jacjie says
I hate to be contrary about this recipe which sounds and looks delectable but…there is nothing EASY about 1/3 c. of orange zest! That is work and it takes a while to do.
Christi says
With the zester I used to have I would completely agree. I purchased a new, nicer one recently and it was crazy how much easier and quicker it is. The difference between a $5 zester and a $15 is kind of amazing! This is the one I have and love. Zester.
Melissa says
Wow and yum. You are also hilarious. Scared straight, citrus edition. I am stifling laughter.
I totally want to make this, but I would probably also add a little orange essential oil to really kick up the flavor. And also so I don’t have to grate so many oranges š