Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

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.

Course Quick Bread, Sweet Bread

Keyword lemon poppy seed bread, lemon poppy seed loaf

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 3485kcal

Author Hafedh Garfa

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.

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.