Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
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Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is a sweet, light, fruity, and delicious bread that won’t last on your kitchen counter! A soft, sweet bread is dotted with tiny poppy seeds and infused with tangy lemon and finished with an incredible lemon glaze. Have it for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon snack!
I’ve always loved poppy seed bread, but it always used to be almond poppy seed that I would crave the most. Since I’m now in love with lemon-flavored everything, that has changed. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. It’s just so vibrant and refreshing. It’s bold and I love that.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
These types of bread need a tender crumb, light flavor, and a sweet glaze or topping of some kind. I don’t make the rules, but that’s what we need. This bread has them all.
The lemon flavor in this bread shines. It has a generous amount of zest layered throughout the batter, lemon juice mixed into the batter, and a generous coating of a fresh lemon juice glaze brushed along the top. It uses granulated sugar instead of confectioners’ sugar, along with 3-4 tablespoon lemon juice to give you a sweet and tangy texture.
With all that lemon, you are going to love the scent this brings to your kitchen. No candle or air freshener could come close to this natural lemony aroma.
Bakery-style Poppy Seed Bread
This is an incredibly easy recipe: stir dry ingredients together, then add to the mixed wet ingredients and pour into your loaf pan. I like to use parchment paper to make it easier to remove, but any cooking spray will work.
Is this bread or is this a cake? Well, I suppose it could go either way. My favorite part is definitely that sugar-coated topping. You’ll be wanting to steal that portion from your kids or that guy sitting next to you (just do it while they aren’t looking, like I did). One taste will just not be enough!
Or you could just be like my 3-year-old, she’ll eat her slice of bread as she’s sitting there watching a cartoon, and when it’s over, she’ll say, “Hey! Who ate my bread?” when really it was her and she just forgot.
But it’s a great attempt at a second slice, though, just pretend someone stole it so you need another.
If you do have any leftovers (doubtful), just cover with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Try it warmed up from the toaster, or cooled in the refrigerator!
Enjoy!
More Recipes to Try
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Follow Cooking Classy
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon Glaze
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 by 4-inch baking dish, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
- Add sugar and lemon zest to the the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Rub lemon zest with sugar using your fingertips, until the mixture becomes moist and pale yellow.
- Add butter to sugar mixture and whip on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, adding in vanilla with last egg.
- In (microwave safe) liquid measuring cup used to measure milk, whisk together the milk with sour cream. Heat mixture in microwave just until no longer cold (about room temp).
- Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture (to the butter/sugar mixture) alternating with 1/2 of the milk mixture and 1 Tbsp lemon juice (each time), and mixing just until combined after each addition.
- Bake in preheated oven 45 - 55 minutes, tenting with foil at 40 minutes (don't let foil touch loaf), until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (or with a few small crumbs).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in loaf pan, then invert loaf onto a wire rack.
- Combine lemon juice and sugar in a bowl and heat in microwave on HIGH power and heat in 15 second intervals, whisking between intervals until sugar has dissolve and mixture is hot.
- Brush top of bread with the lemon glaze (it will take several coats but use it all. Give it a second between coats to absorb as needed).
- Let loaf cool on wire rack (I also recommend covering it with a extra large bowl if you have one to seal in some of the moisture), then cut into slices. Store in an airtight container.
Start with that up there. End with this lemon, sugary glazed deliciousness down here.
Not to be confused with blueberries, these are poppy seeds – just up close and personal…
