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Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
It's so easy to make this lemon poppy seed bread from scratch, and the result is a moist, light, and tender loaf bursting with bright lemon flavor and topped with a simple lemon glaze.
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I've made a lot of quick breads, and this lemon poppy seed bread has become one of my favorites. The crumb is light and tender, the lemon flavor is bright without being sharp, and that glaze on top makes it look like something straight from a bakery window. It comes together in about an hour, and I can almost guarantee it won't last that long once it's out of the oven.
But I'll be honest. My first version wasn't quite there. It was moist and delicious, but denser than I wanted for something I imagined serving at a spring brunch or grabbing as an afternoon snack. So I sent it to my recipe tester to get her take.
She agreed. Good bread, but if I was after a lighter crumb, she had a technique she'd used before that she thought would make all the difference. I gave it a try, and the result was absolutely perfect.
I used the same ingredients, a similar easy process, but yielded a noticeably lighter and more tender loaf.
Read This Before You Start
The secret to the light, tender crumb in this recipe is in how you handle the eggs.
👩🍳 Instead of adding them straight to the batter, beat them on high speed for 60 to 90 seconds until they turn pale and foamy. That extra air is what lifts the crumb and keeps it from baking up dense.
After that, the rest comes together just like any quick bread. Mix your wet ingredients, add the dry, fold in the poppy seeds, and you're done.
One more thing worth knowing: check your homemade bread at the 40-minute mark. Oven temperatures vary more than most people realize, and an extra 10 minutes can take this loaf from perfect to dry.
A toothpick inserted in the center should have a few dense crumbs on it. You don't have to wait until it's totally clean.
Ingredients for Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
To make this moist lemon poppy seed bread recipe, you'll need:
To Make The Bread:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup sour cream (or you can substitute plain Greek Yogurt)
- ⅔ cup milk
- ½ cup lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For The Lemon Glaze:
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Zest from ½ lemon
I'm a big fan of Meyer lemons - they have this sweetness that adds so much depth when you bake with them. But any lemons will work!
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Making The Batter
Start by beating your eggs on high speed for 60 to 90 seconds until they are pale and foamy. This is the step that makes all the difference.
Add the oil, sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest and mix until smooth. Sift your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds last.
Baking
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
The Glaze
Let the bread cool completely before glazing. I know it's tempting, but a warm loaf will melt the glaze and get sticky, instead of letting it set on top.
Remove the cooled loaf from the pan. Place it on a wire rack, whisk together the glaze ingredients, and drizzle over the top.
Storing Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This quick bread contains dairy, so in the fridge is the best place to store it. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.
It should keep wrapped tightly on the counter for a day or two.
For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. I'd recommend freezing it without the glaze. It will likely separate when it thaws.
More Lemon Recipes You'll Love
I don't think there's ever a bad time to bake up lemon treats. If I have a slew of lemons on hand, I'm always looking for ways to use them up. A few favorite recipes in our house:
My Lemon Pound Cake is a dense, buttery classic with a tender crumb and a sweet lemon glaze that makes it impossible to resist.
These Lemon Blondies are chewy, fudgy bars packed with fresh lemon flavor and finished with a tangy lemon glaze.
If you have never tried it, Lemon Chiffon Cake is impossibly light and airy with a delicate citrus flavor that makes it perfect for any celebration.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies are soft, chewy, and coated in powdered sugar with a bright lemon flavor in every bite.
If you love bright citrus flavor, these recipes belong on your must-make list.
More Quick Bread Recipes For Brunch
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
Fresh lemon juice works best here. Since you already need a lemon for the zest, it makes sense to juice it as well.
Can I make this into muffins?
Yes. Fill muffin liners about two-thirds full and start checking for doneness at 18 to 20 minutes. It should make about 12 muffins.
Why did my bread sink in the middle?
The two most common culprits are overmixing the batter and pulling the bread from the oven too early. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated, and always do the toothpick test before you take it out.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
It's so easy to make this lemon poppy seed bread from scratch, and the result is a moist, light, and tender loaf bursting with bright lemon flavor and topped with a simple lemon glaze.
Did you try this recipe?Let our readers know how it turned out by Leaving a Review!
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup oil
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1¾ cups flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
Glaze
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper or coat it with cooking spray.
- Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat on high speed for 60 to 90 seconds until pale and foamy.
- Add the oil, sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the poppy seeds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, melted butter, and lemon zest until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled loaf and let it set before slicing.
Notes
- This recipe doubles easily. I highly recommend making two loaves because the first one disappears fast.
- Oven temperatures vary, so start checking at 40 minutes rather than waiting for the full 50.
Nutrition
Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 2mg
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