Orange Spice Bread with Candied Orange Peels is that perfect special occasion bread. Serve it up with a cup of orange spice tea or a steaming cup of coffee and you have the perfect treat.
I was blown away by the flavor of this bread! Seriously, I have never tasted anything like it. I almost didn't release the recipe because I thought it took too long to make, but then I ate a slice a few days after I made it and realized that the time it takes is so worth it!
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What is Orange Spice Bread?
Orange Spice Bread is a dense, sweet bread with dried cranberries and candied orange pieces mixed into the dough. It is spiced with cloves and cinnamon and uses simple syrup infused with orange spice tea, and that's what makes this bread so unique. The flavor is so amazing, you'll wonder if you are eating bread or cake. It's actually kind of hard to describe this bread because I've never had anything like it before, but it is so good!
Orange Spice Bread does take a while to make. It isn't hard; in fact, most of the time is hands off, but you do want to plan ahead when making this bread. I recommend making it the day before you want to serve it, so it can rise overnight and you can bake it in the morning.
I sure hope you give this one a try because it is truly a special bread with amazing flavor.
Is it Hard to Make Candied Orange Peel?
Not at all! The Ninja Foodi makes it even easier if you ask me. The process of making candied orange slices is twofold; first, you put the orange slices into boiling water for a minute or two to remove the bitterness of the rind; next, combine equal parts of sugar and water, bring to a boil and add in the orange slices.
The orange slices sit in the simple syrup for a few minutes and then get coated with sugar and placed on a cooling rack to dry. It is that simple.
The best part is we can use the Ninja Foodi under pressure to make that simple syrup in no time at all. It's perfect!
If you don't want to make your own candied orange slices, you can buy them at the grocery store or on Amazon. I have not purchased candied orange peel because they really are easy and inexpensive to make on your own, but these candied orange peels by Olive Nation had good reviews on Amazon.
How to Make Orange Spice Bread
There are several steps to making Orange Spice Bread, so I thought it would be easiest if I broke them out into 4 separate recipes. I usually multi-task and work on two of the recipe components at a time, but you can do one step at a time if that makes it easier.
Candied Orange Slices
For the candied orange slices, you will need a total of 3 ½ cups of water, 3 cups of sugar, and 1 large Navel Orange.
Place 2 cups of water into the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and either bring to a boil using the sear/sauté function on high or put on the pressure lid and set to high pressure for zero minutes. You can immediately release the pressure when finished.
While the water is heating, cut the naval orange in half through the stem end. Place the cut side of the orange half down on a cutting board and make ¼" slices. You should have 10-14 slices from each half depending on the size of your orange. I don't recommend using a clementine or soft rind orange for this recipe because it will not hold its shape very well.
Place the orange slices into the boiling water for 2 minutes. This step is done to remove any bitterness from the orange peel. Remove and drain the orange slices and discard the water. You don't want to use the water for the simple syrup because it will be bitter.
Combine 1 ½ cups of water and 1 ½ cups of sugar into the inner pot and heat to a boil using the sear/sauté function on high or put on the pressure lid and set to high pressure for zero minutes. You can immediately release the pressure when finished.
Pick at least 14 of the best looking orange slices and leave them whole. Remove the meat of the orange from about 8-10 slices so that the peels can be used in the bread dough. Place all of the orange pieces and slices into the simple syrup and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Place 2 cups of sugar in a shallow bowl. Remove the orange slices from the simple syrup and dredge in the sugar. Place the orange slices on a cooling rack to dry.
The pieces that you are using in the bread can be diced up in about 30 minutes. The slices you use for decorating the bread will dry overnight on the cooling rack.
YAY! The candied orange slices are done!
Orange Tea Infused Simple Syrup
Strain any remaining orange pieces from the simple syrup.
Place 2 orange tea bags into the simple syrup and allow to steep for at least 10 minutes. This will also allow the syrup to cool enough to use in our bread. I used Tazo Wild Orange Tea, but you can use any orange tea blend you like.
YAY! The Orange Simple Syrup is done! See, it's not hard!
Orange Spice Bread
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 ¼ teaspoon of 
yeast. The water temp should be around 104° F to proof the yeast. Make sure it is not too hot (110° F or greater) or it will kill the yeast. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. The yeast mixture will be bubbly and frothy.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, and 2 teaspoon ground cloves. Stir to combine.
Add yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and stir. Make sure the butter is not too hot.
Roughly chop the orange peels that you are using for the bread and add to flour mixture. Add dried cranberries, ½ tablespoon sea salt and mix. Your mixture will be very dry 
right now.
Add in 1 cup of the orange tea infused simple syrup and stir. Make sure the simple syrup is less than 110° F or it will kill the yeast. At this point the dough will be very wet.
Add in 1 cup of flour and stir to combine and form a soft dough.
Preheat the Ninja Foodi on Bake/Roast at 250° F for 5 minutes. Turn the Ninja Foodi off, but keep the lid closed. We are going to use the Ninja Foodi to proof the bread.
Flour a clean work surface with ¼ cup of flour and dump the dough onto the surface. Add ¼ cup of flour on top of bread and fold and turn until the flour is incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky. You can add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. I love to use my Pampered Chef Pastry Mat for kneading dough, but any clean surface will work.
Knead the bread for about 5 minutes. If you need further instructions, please see the 
video on YouTube or the video below the written recipe.
Put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a 6" or 8" cake pan or any other dish that fits into the Ninja Foodi. Coat the top of the dough ball with the olive oil and place in the pan on the rack in the low position. Cover with a damp towel and place into the Ninja Foodi for 30 minutes. *Do not expect the bread to rise much; it isn't going to, because of the simple syrup. If you want to read more about how sugar affects yeast, I found this article interesting: Yeast & Baking Lessons
Remove the bread from the pan and place on a lightly floured work surface. Form into a round disc and make a hole in the center big enough to fit over your fluted pan, bundt pan or ring mold. The pan I use is by Fat Daddio and it is a 7" ring mold.
Place bread in the pan you are going to bake it in and cover with a damp towel. Leave in a draft-free place overnight. The oven with the light on works great. You can use any clean kitchen towel, but my favorite all purpose towels that have little to no lint are flour sacks.
The bread is only going to rise just above the cake pan, and that is fine. Preheat the Ninja Foodi on bake/roast at 325° F for 10 minutes.
To make a design in the top of your bread, cut ½-1" slits around the bread about every inch. Twist each one of the sections 90 degrees in the same direction to form a design. When the bread is done baking, you will have grooves to set the orange slices in.
*Optional step- melt ½ cup of butter and pour around the inside of the pan. Sometimes you will have to pull the bread back from the edges a bit to get the butter to coat the inside of the pan.
Bake in preheated Ninja Foodi for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, cover the top with foil and return to the Ninja Foodi on bake/roast at 300° F for an additional 15 minutes. Leave in the Ninja Foodi with the lid down for 10 minutes to finish cooking. You can take a temp after the 10 minutes if you want and it should read between 190°-200° F
When I made this bread for the YouTube video, I felt it just wasn't done enough. I think the 
rain had something to do with it, so I removed the bread from the pan and turned it upside down on the rack and cooked an additional 10 minutes on 300° F.
Cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve & Enjoy! Or... go that extra step and make the glaze! YUM!
Orange Chocolate Glaze
While the bread is cooling, go ahead and make up some delicious glaze! I promise you, you are going to love it!
In the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi, heat ½ cup of heavy cream on high sear/sauté until it is simmering. Turn the heat off and add in 4 ounces of white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
Stir to combine and let the heat from the cream melt the chocolate. Remove from the Ninja Foodi and allow to cool. It will thicken as it cools and you want it thick, but pourable.
When the cake is completely cool, pour the glaze over top and let it drip down the sides.
I REALLY HOPE YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE AS MUCH AS I DO! PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW!
Orange Spice Bread in the Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
Candied Orange Slices
- 1 large Orange naval
- 3 cups sugar divided
- 3 ½ cups water divided
Orange Spice infused simple Syrup
- 1 cup simple syrup use the syrup you candied the oranges with
- 2 orange spice tea bags
Orange Spice Bread
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast
- ¼ cup water warmed to 104° F
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour plus more for coating the kneading surface
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon ground
- 2 teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 cup dried cranberries 6 ounces
- ½ cup candied orange diced see recipe below
- 1 cup butter divided, melted and cooled to less than 110°F
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- 1 cup simple syrup see recipe below
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for the pan
Orange White Chocolate Glaze
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon orange zest only
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Instructions
Candied Orange Peels
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in the Ninja Foodi using the Sear/Saute on high. Cut the naval orange in half and then cut into ¼" slices. Put into the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove and drain. Discard the water.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water and 1 ½ cups of sugar to the inner pot and put on the pressure lid. Set the valve to seal and turn the Ninja Foodi on high pressure and set the time for zero minutes. Allow to come up to pressure and then when it it says done, immediately release the pressure and turn on the sear/ saute function on high.
- Pick out 14-18 slices that look good for the decorations and set them aside. Remove the flesh from the remaining orange slices and dice them up. You want about ½ cup of diced orange for the bread.
- Add in the orange slices and the diced pieces. Let them sit in the simple syrup for about 2-3 minutes. While the orange slices are in the syrup, put 2 cups of sugar in a shallow dish.
- Remove the orange slices and dredge each slice through the sugar and place the slices on a cooling rack.
Orange Spice Simple Syrup
- Strain the Simple syrup to remove any orange pieces and place 2 orange tea bags and let steep for 5-10 minutes. This will also allow the simple syrup to cool down. It has to be less than 110° F before adding to the bread dough or it can kill the yeast.
- Reserve 1 cup for the Orange Spice Bread. You can save the remaining simple syrup to sweeten tea if you like.
Orange Spice Bread
- Combine ¼ cup warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast into a small bowl and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to proof. The yeast mixture will become bubbly.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoon ground cloves. Mix to combine.
- Add in proofed yeast and fold into the flour mixture. Add in ½ cup of melted (cooled to less than 110° F) and mix.
- Add in 6 ounces of dried cranberries and ½ tablespoon salt. Mix to combine.
- Add in 1 cup of the orange tea infused simple sugar (make sure it has cooled to less than 110°) and ½ cup diced candied orange. Mix to combine. Your dough will be very wet at this point.
- Add in another cup of flour and mix until it combines and makes a dough ball.
- Preheat the Ninja Foodi on bake/roast at 250° F. After 5 minutes, turn the Ninja
Foodi off, but keep the lid closed. - Flour your kneading surface with about ¼ cup of flour and dump the dough ball out on top of the flour.
- The dough will be very soft and a little sticky at this point. Add another ¼ cup of flour on top and knead the bread for a few minutes. If it is still sticky, add a bit more flour and knead a few more minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a 6" or 8" cake pan or other oven safe dish. Form a disc with the dough cover in a small amount of olive oil to prevent it from drying out. Put the dough in the cake pan or dish. Place the dish on the rack in the low position and place it in the NInja Foodi (keep the Foodi off) for 30 minutes
- Remove the rack and turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. The dough will not rise that much, so don't worry about that.
- Form the dough into a round circle the size of your ring mold or bunt pan. Put your thumb and finger into the middle to form a circle big enough to fit over the center part of your pan. See video and post for details.
- Place the dough into the pan and cover with a damp towel and put in a draft free space overnight. If you use the oven, you can turn the oven light on to provide a bit of heat.
- Preheat the Ninja Foodi on bake/roast at 325° F. for 10 minutes. To make a design in the top of your bread, cut ½-1" slits around the bread about every inch. Twist each one of the sections. See post and video for details.
- **Optional step: Pour ½ cup of melted butter around the edges of the bread just before baking.
- Bake at 325° F for 20 minutes. Cover top and reduce the heat to 300° F. and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let the bread sit in the Ninja Foodi with the lid closed for 10 minutes.
- Allow the bread to cool 30 minutes before cutting or 2 hours if using the glaze.
- Remove the rack and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. If you want the bottom and sides to be a bit more brown, then return to the NInja Foodi on 300° for about 10 minutes.
- Place the candied orange slices on top by tucking them into the grooves made by the slits we made before baking. Glaze with the orange chocolate glaze if using. See post for details.
Orange Chocolate Glaze
- In the bottom of the inner pot, heat ½ cup heavy cream on high saute. Turn the Ninja Foodi off and add the zest from 1 orange and white chocolate chips. Stir to combine and allow the heat from the heavy cream to melt the chocolate. Remove from the inner pot and allow to cool in a small bowl. When cool, drizzle over the bread.
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR NINJA FOODI! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!
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