This Lemon Poppy Seed Bread recipe is both easy to bake and full of flavor!
I had two whole paragraphs written about how hard this week has been and how big of an a-hole my toddler AND puppy have been all week, but then I changed my mind.
So I deleted it. I didn’t want to write about that stuff today.
While I try to keep this space real and honest (including the good and bad of motherhood), for today, I am choosing to focus on the positive. I am turning my lemons into lemonade.
OK, no I’m not, but I AM turning them into the most moist, sweet and happy Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread. My favorite thing about lemon poppy seed bread is that it is delicious as a sweet breakfast alongside an oversized cup of coffee, or as dessert.
Or, in the case of my day, both.
And then there’s the poppy seeds. I don’t know what it is about these teeny-tiny seeds, but somehow they make this soft, moist, buttery lemon bread even better. Anyone know? I tried Googling it (of course) and all that came up was “Can eating poppy seeds cause you to fail a drug test?” No drug tests in my future, so I can’t get back to you on that one.
Aside from turning pretty lemons into even prettier lemon poppy seed bread, it is Friday and tomorrow Octavian will be spending the night at his Nana’s house. I debated about having him spend the night because I miss him when he is gone for more than a few hours, but then this morning happened and I decided ummm, no. He’s going.
And, to be honest, I need more than the 14 minutes of “me time” that my husband would be able to give me.
Happy Mother’s Day to me.
And all you other FANTASTIC Mama’s out there!
More Bread & Muffin Recipes,
- Cheesy Zucchini Bread (Quick Bread)
- Raspberry Banana White Chocolate Chip Coconut Muffins
- Blackberry and Orange Muffins with Dark Chocolate
- Homemade Bakery Blueberry Muffin Recipe
- Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Banana Bread Recipe: How to Make Banana Bread
If you try making this Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest - from approximately 4 small lemons
- ½ cup unsalted butter - at room temperature, softened
- 3 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sour cream - at room temperature
- ¼ cup milk - at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray or butter a 9x4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest and rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar becomes moist. Attach the paddle attachment and add the butter to the sugar mixture. Mix on medium until butter is soft and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. If necessary, occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix once more.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the room- temperature milk and sour cream.
- Finally, working in 3 separate batches and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with half the milk mixture and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, mixing until just combined after each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 45-55 minutes. To prevent the top from burning, tent the top with foil approximately 30 minutes into baking, being careful not to touch the loaf with the foil. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow the loaf to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack and removing it from the pan.
- Cut the loaf into slices and store any remaining pieces in an air-tight container to maintain freshness.
Jessica's Notes
- For best results, allow time for the wet ingredients (eggs, butter, sour cream, and milk) to come to room temperature before preparing the batter.
- When mixing together the ingredients, only mix until just combined. Over-mixing will heat the ingredients, something we want to avoid to get the fluffiest bread possible.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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