Supremely moist and loaded with fresh lemon and flecks of poppyseeds, this lemon poppy seed bread is a loaf full of pure sunshine.

I’m going to decree that spring is pretty much incomplete unless you have this absolute sunshine of a loaf in your life. Preferably with excess glaze drizzled into every square inch and an extra thick-cut slice for me, thank you very much.

Lemon poppy seed muffins are the bees knees in my house but for those times when I don’t feel like going to the trouble to scoop muffin batter, that’s where this quick bread version comes in very handy!

To be more specific, I might actually love this loaf even more than it’s mini-sized muffin cousins. Every bite is singing with fresh lemon, poppyseeds, and lord, don’t even get me started on that creamy lemon glaze…

This Bread Features…

A soft and moist interior with poppyseeds flecked in every bite
Fresh lemon flavor in both the bread and the glaze
A rich and creamy lemon glaze

Making the Bread

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Granulated sugar
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Vegetable oil
Eggs
Sour cream
2% or skim milk
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Kosher salt
Poppy seeds
Powdered sugar

Can I Make Bread into Muffins?

Yes, you can! This recipe will make about 1 dozen muffins. Fill muffin liners to brim with batter and bake at 350F 15-20 minutes until muffins are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Tips for Perfect Lemon Bread

Use fresh lemon juice and zest – we want a strong lemon flavor throughout the bread and using both fresh lemon juice and zest gives you exactly that.
Rub lemon zest into granulated sugar – this infuses the sugar with the oils in the zest providing a stronger kick of lemon throughout the bread.
Bring eggs, sour cream, and milk to room temperature – room temperature will help all these ingredients mix cohesively into the batter.
Spoon and level flour – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
Gently fold batter – overmixing will lead to a dry bread so use a gentle hand when folding batter.
Use a toothpick to test bread – insert a toothpick in the center of bread. The bread is done when toothpick comes out clean.
Cool bread completely before glazing and cutting – don’t be tempted to cut into the bread while it’s still warm. Allowing the bread to cool will strengthen its structure and make for neat slices.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this bread.

Use another citrus – try orange, lime, or grapefruit in place of the lemon. You can also use a combination of several citrus fruits.
Add fruit – fold 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, diced strawberries, or blueberries into the batter. For best results, toss the fruit with 1 tablespoon flour before adding to batter to keep it from sinking during baking.
Top bread with another glaze – try a vanilla glaze or a cream cheese glaze.

Storing and Freezing Bread

Allow bread to cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

To freeze bread, allow to cool completely (do not glaze), wrap bread well, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw bread completely at room temperature, top with glaze, and store up to 4 days.

I tell ya, a freshly-baked loaf of this bread on the counter absolutely dripping with glaze is a glorious sight to behold. Cut those slices extra-thick and enjoy the tangy scent of fresh lemon and flecks of poppyseeds in every luscious bite.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Try these other lemony favorites next!

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes