This soft and tender Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is truly simple to make—just stir everything together. And, it has a secret ingredient that brings out the lemon flavor even more!
This old fashioned recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is a classic: a soft and tender quick bread, lots of lemon flavor, with poppy seeds throughout.
It also has a sticky-sweet glaze that seeps into the bread to make it extra lemon-y and delicious.
I love serving it straight out of the oven while it’s still warm. But, it’s also delicious on day two or three because the flavors meld together even more.
This delightful lemon loaf is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
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The secret ingredient
The secret ingredient in this lemon poppy seed bread recipe is almond extract!
Almond complements the flavor of lemon really nicely, so it’s a lovely pairing in this quick bread.
The extract is used in both the bread and the glaze.
Other ingredients
- Dry ingredients include flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds.
- Wet ingredients include eggs, milk, and oil.
- We’ll use both lemon zest and lemon juice from the lemons.
- Almond extract adds a hint of nutty flavor to the loaf.
How to make lemon poppy seed bread
I love quick bread recipes with simple instructions, and this is one of them!
For this recipe, simply whisk the wet ingredients together, then stir in the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into a 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake the lemon poppy seed bread for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the bread is baking, add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and almond extract to a small saucepan.
Cook the mixture JUST until it reaches a boil, then pour it over the bread after it’s done baking. It’ll seep into the center and run down the sides to glaze the bread with extra lemon flavor.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: Frequently Asked Questions
To freeze the bread, make it according to recipe directions and let cool. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil, then slide it into a gallon-size resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature overnight before serving.
You can use ¾ cup of sugar instead of 1 cup for a less-sweet bread. I don’t recommend using any less.
The center of a loaf of quick bread is the last section to bake. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick into the center of the loaf. The toothpick should come out dry or with a few crumbs. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, bake it in additional 5 minute increments until it’s cooked through.
If the top of the loaf is getting brown before the center is done, place a piece of aluminum foil on top (no need to tuck it around the loaf pan—just lightly rest it on top of the loaf). It’ll prevent the bread from additional browning.
More quick breads
If you love this Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, you have to try these other quick breads!
- Date Nut Bread (Grandma’s recipe!)
- Pear Bread with Candied Ginger
- Apple Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
- Strawberry Bread
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest (from about 1½ large lemons)
- 1¾ cups flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
For the glaze:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about ½ large lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, almond extract, and lemon zest. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and almond extract. Heat on the stovetop just until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the warm poppy seed bread.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
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