Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This iced, tangy-sweet, and moist lemon poppy seed bread is loaded with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and crunchy poppy seeds, all topped with a smooth lemon icing. It’s a classic citrus staple and uses the same base ingredients as my lemon bread and my orange bread. It is truly one of my absolute favorites to bake during the peak of citrus season.

PS: Want muffins or mini loaves instead? Check the printable recipe notes below.

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As the winter season arrives, there are many classic flavors that come to mind, but few combinations are as bright and delicious as lemon poppy seed quick bread. I absolutely love the pairing of sunshine-tart lemon with the subtle crunch of poppy seeds. Over the years, I’ve developed recipes for lemon blueberry bread, lemon zucchini bread, lemon scones, lemon blueberry scones, lemon rolls, and these lemon poppy seed scones—and my pistachio bread even features a pop of lemon flavor, too! While they are all incredible, nothing rivals today’s quick bread, its easy, bakery-style loaf that never fails to impress.

Here’s Why You’ll Love This Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

• Freezer-Friendly
• Use simple, basic baking ingredients
• No mixer is required, and the bread batter comes together quickly and easily in just one bowl.
• Soft and moist, with a delightful crunch from the poppy seeds
• Versatile treat-enjoy a slice with your morning coffee, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or as dessert.

Key Ingredients to Use & Why

Here is a quick breakdown of the ingredients you’ll need and the specific role each one plays in this recipe. As Peter Reinhart says in one of my favorite baking quotes: “It’s all about a balancing act between time, temperature, and ingredients: That’s the art of baking.” From structure to flavor, every ingredient here serves a purpose in your baked goods—many of these are the same essentials I use for my apple cinnamon quick bread:

• Lemon: You’ll need the zest and juice of one medium lemon for the batter, and a bit more juice from a small lemon for the glaze.
• Sugar: You will need granulated sugar to sweeten the loaf and balance the lemon’s tartness, plus confectioners’ sugar to whisk together the sweet lemon glaze.
• Sour cream: High-fat sour cream adds incredible tenderness and moisture. Feel free to substitute with Greek or plain yogurt if you prefer.
• Vegetable Oil: This is the secret to a soft, moist crumb that stays fresh for days while letting the citrus flavor shine.
• Egg: 2 eggs to bind everything together and add richness.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this bread. recipe. Most of the volume in this quick bread batter comes from the flour.
• Baking powder: Gives the bread its lift.
• Salt: Just one teaspoon to enhance all the other flavors.
• Poppy seed: We use three tablespoons to give the bread its signature look and delightful crunch.

Lemon Poppy Seed Batter

Making this lemon loaf batter is very simple. All you need to do is whisk the wet ingredients together, add the dry ingredients, and stir until combined. If you prefer, you can whisk the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls before bringing them together. Once mixed, simply pour and spread the batter into your prepared loaf pan. That’s it!

This lemon and poppy seed bread can take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes in the oven. Why such a large gap? Every oven is different due to airflow variations and specific hot spots. Because quick bread batters are thick, it takes time for the heat to reach the center and bake it through properly without over-browning the edges. My loaf always seems to hit that sweet spot at exactly 55 minutes.

Lemon icing Is Optional

For a little something extra, I love to top this bread with a bright lemon glaze. You only need two simple ingredients: confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. It’s the same tangy-sweet icing I use for my classic lemon bread, and it sets beautifully after about an hour or two. While the icing is totally optional, I always encourage adding that extra layer of citrus sweetness.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Hafedh Garfa

This easy lemon poppy seed bread is perfectly tangy-sweet, moist, and tender. It’s a lovely treat to share with guests or enjoy with a warm cup of coffee in the early morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up. See the notes below for freezing instructions.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Bake Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Quick Bread, Sweet Bread

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

Batter

• ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 1 medium lemon
• ⅔ cup (160 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Icing

• 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 small lemon

Instructions

 

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• Make the bread: In a large bowl, rub the granulated sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips for 30–60 seconds, or until the sugar is fragrant and pale yellow. Whisk in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth and creamy, then whisk in the oil until fully incorporated. Add the eggs and whisk until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt, whisking just until the batter is mostly smooth with no visible dry pockets. Avoid over-mixing.
• Pour the batter into the pan and gently tap it on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
• Bake the bread for 45-60 minutes. Note that baking times vary between ovens; this bread takes me 55 minutes. To prevent over-browning, tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil halfway through the baking process if the top is browning too quickly. The lemon poppyseed bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let it rest in the pan on a cooling rack for 10–15 minutes before removing bread to cool completely on the rack for at least 1 hour.
• Make the Icing (optional): Whisk the icing ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle/pour over the bread. Serve immediately.
• Store leftover bread for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: Freeze your lemon poppy seed loaf with or without icing for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.

Special Tools (affiliate links): Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Kitchen Scale & Liquid Measurement cup or Measuring cup & spoons |Balloon or Metal Whisk | Silicone Spatula |Glass Mixing Bowl |Wire Rack.

Sour Cream: If you don’t have sour cream,  you can use Greek yogurt, plain yogurt.

Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with mini liners. Prepare batter as directed in steps 1 and 2. Spoon the batter evenly into the liner. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C). Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling, then, prepare and apply the glaze on top as directed in step 6.

Can I turn this into mini loaves? Absolutely! Prepare the batter as directed and divide it evenly among greased mini loaf pans. Bake times and yield vary depending on the size of the pans. Keep an eye on the loaves and use a toothpick inserted in the center to check for doneness.

Lemon: 1 medium and 1 small lemon will give you everything you need. Grab the medium lemon to zest 1 tablespoon and squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice for the batter. Then, simply juice the small lemon to get 2 tablespoons of lemon juice you’ll need for the glaze.

Poppy Seeds: Don’t have any poppy seeds on hand? Skip them and make this simple lemon bread, or use black sesame seeds or chia seeds instead of poppy seeds if you want that crunchy signature.