Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread is a stunning citrus-infused bread. Super fluffy and worth the effort to put together. Just perfect for Christmas or Easter morning.

If you're making this Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread, be sure to also check out my Orange Glazed Polenta Cake and my Orange Poppy Seed Cake for more citrus forward Italian baking inspiration.

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Jump To

• Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes
• How to Make Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread
• Expert Tips
• Variations
•  Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread

If you love citrus desserts, this Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread is for you. It's soft, fragrant, lightly sweet, and made with fresh whole oranges for real flavor. No extracts. No artificial taste. Just pure, bright citrus in every bite.

This traditional Italian sweet bread is perfect for breakfast with coffee, an afternoon snack, or even a simple dessert. It's dairy-free, easy to make, and ready in about 1 hour. The texture is tender and moist, almost like a cross between a quick bread and a light cake.

This is the kind of recipe my family makes when oranges are in season and the kitchen smells like Sicily.

Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread

 I love baking yeast breads. I love baking quick breads! Obviously, the quick breads are much easier to put together. There are so many variations in quick bread recipes and a very tempting part in making them is the ease and speed! 

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Uses fresh whole oranges for authentic flavor
• Naturally dairy-free
• No yeast, no rising time
• Simple pantry ingredients
• Perfect for winter and early spring citrus season

Ingredient Notes

• Oranges
  Use organic oranges since you're blending the peel. Wash them well and remove any seeds. The peel gives the bread its intense citrus aroma.
• Sugar
  Granulated sugar keeps the crumb light. You can reduce slightly if you prefer less sweetness.
• Oil
  Neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable oil) keeps the bread moist longer than butter.
• Flour
  All-purpose flour gives structure without making it dense.
• Baking Powder
  Make sure it's fresh. This bread relies on it for lift.

How to Make Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1: Activate the yeast

Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook. Add warm water and yeast to the bowl. Mix briefly until blended.

Step 2: Add sugar + start the dough

Add the sugar and mix for about 1 minute. Slowly mix in 1 cup of flour until combined.

Step 3: Add eggs

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each until fully incorporated.

Step 4: Add the flavor ingredients

Add 2 more cups flour, oil, salt, orange zest, orange juice, and candied orange peel. Mix on medium-low, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

Step 5: Finish adding flour

Slowly add the remaining flour, scraping the sides after each addition, until a soft dough forms.

Step 6: Knead in the mixer

Mix on low for about 3 minutes until the dough looks incorporated and elastic.

• Give your mixer a quick break if it starts to heat up.
• Add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if needed.
  The dough should be slightly sticky but still firm.

Step 7: Oil + first rise

Remove the dough, shape into a ball, and coat lightly with canola oil. Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Swish the dough around, then flip it so it's coated in a thin film of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 8: Make the almond topping

While the dough rises, stir together egg whites, powdered sugar, and ground almonds in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 9: Preheat the oven

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

Step 10: Add the marmalade

Punch down the dough. Gently knead in the orange marmalade.
Add it one spoonful at a time, kneading briefly after each addition to keep it inside the dough (not smeared on the outside). If the dough gets too sticky, add a little flour and knead once more into a smooth ball.

Step 11: Second rise in the pan

Place the dough into a panettone paper or a 23 cm (9-inch) round cake pan lined with parchment (ideally with a removable bottom). Let rise again until the dough reaches the top of the pan/paper.

Step 12: First bake

Bake for 20 minutes.

Step 13: Add topping + finish baking

Remove the bread and spoon the almond topping over the top (some may drip down the sides, wipe gently if needed). Sprinkle with flaked almonds and pearl sugar.

Reduce oven temperature to 175°C (350°F). Return bread to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until golden brown. Start checking at 15 minutes, since ovens vary.

Step 14: Check doneness

Tap the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, it's done. If not, bake a few minutes longer and re-check.

Step 15: Cool and serve

Expert Tips

• Use thin-skinned oranges for best texture.
• Remove all seeds before blending.
• Don't overmix once flour is added. Overmixing makes the bread dense.
• If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 15 minutes.
• Let it cool fully before slicing. It slices cleaner and tastes better once set.

Variations

• Orange Almond Bread
  Replace ¼ cup of flour with almond flour.
• Chocolate Orange
  Fold in ½ cup dark chocolate chips.
• Orange Glaze
  Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice and drizzle over cooled bread.
• Blood Orange Version
  Use blood oranges when in season for a deeper color and slightly berry-like flavor.

Storage

• Room Temperature:
  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Refrigerator:
  Keeps up to 5 days, but allow slices to come to room temperature before serving.
• Freezer:
  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 2 months. Slice before freezing for easy portions.

FAQ

When to Serve It

• Breakfast with espresso
• Afternoon snack with tea
• Easter brunch
• Winter citrus season
• Holiday gifting

Here is our fantastic April-Oranges breads from the incredible #TwelveLoaves bakers:

• Blueberry Dreamsicle Orange Lower-Fat Quick Bread from Shockingly Delicious
• Brith with candied orange from Ma che ti sei mangiato
• It's Thyme for Orange Dinner Rolls from Cookistry
• Orange Biscuits from Magnolia Days
• Orange-Fennel Cake Doughnuts from girlichef
• Orange Marmalade Filled Sweet Rolls from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Orange Marmalade Scones from A Baker's House
• Orange Pull-Apart Bread from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Orange Pull Apart Bread with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze from Bakingyummies
• Orange Rolls from Basic N Delicious
• Orange Rosemary Boule from Food Lust People Love
• Orange You Delicious Honey Crescent Rolls from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Pizza di Pasqua from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rye and fennel seeds snails with blood oranges and red onion chutney from Rise of the sourdough preacher
• Sicilian Orange Sweet Bread from Savoring Italy
• Strawberry and Orange Quick Bread with Candied Orange Marmalade from Hip Foodie Mom

My husband saw me take it out of the oven and told me I needed to hang it upside down to cool or it will it will deflate.  I explained to Fabrizio that this isn't a panettone recipe.

I just happened to use my panettone paper and it is actually a challah dough recipe! No butter, but vegetable oil. I did use the almond topping the baker suggests with this recipe. It wasn't very thick and it does drizzle around the sides. I wiped the sides of my bread. I happened to have pearl sugar and tossed some of that on top too! This is my riff on an Italian Colomba. My sort of faux-panettone.

Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)

I would LOVE IT if you can leave me a star rating and a review down below and let me know your thoughts! It means the world to me to hear how you liked it.

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