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Home » Desserts » Muffins & Sweet Breads » Best Homemade Lemon Loaf

Best Homemade Lemon Loaf

By: Rosemary Published: August 27, 2022 Updated on: August 27, 2022

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Best Homemade Lemon Loaf, is a delicious moist sweet bread recipe. Made with fresh lemons and a simple lemon glaze. No beaters necessary, just a couple of bowls and utensils! The perfect snack, dessert or even Breakfast Bread.

Lemon loaf bread with 2 slices cut.

I love lemons. I love the smell of lemons, I love the taste of lemons, anything lemon is fine by me. When I was a young woman there was a lemon cologne my friends and I would wear, I loved it. Just wish I could find it again!

Table of Contents

  • Recipe Ingredients
      • Glaze
  • How to make the Lemon Loaf
      • Never Miss a Recipe!
  • What does stir just until moistened mean?
  • Substituting a Lemon Glaze for the Lemon Syrup
  • FAQs
  • More Lemon Recipes you may like.
  • Best Homemade Lemon Bread
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x
      • *If you use salted butter then use a pinch of salt.
      • LEMON SYRUP
    • Instructions 
      • LEMON SYRUP
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Butter
  • Zest
  • Eggs
  • Milk

Glaze

  • Juice
  • Sugar
Lemon loaf on a white board.

How to make the Lemon Loaf

Pre-heat the oven and grease a loaf pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 1/4 cups of sugar, add the softened butter and with a pastry blender or fork blend together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest.

Whisking the dry ingredients in a bowl and adding the zest.

In a small bowl add the eggs and beat lightly with a fork, add the milk and beat until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is moistened. Do not over mix.

Adding the dry ingredients to the wet and stirred until just combined.

In prepared loaf pan add the batter and bake for approximately 60 minutes, (this all depends on the oven, could be a little more or a little less) or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 15 – 20 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bread before and after baked in a loaf pan.
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    In a small pot add the 4 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar, over medium heat stirring constantly bring to a boil until thickened. With a pastry brush, brush syrup over the top of the cooled or even warmish bread.

    Brushing the syrup on the bread.

    It doesn’t even need a heavy icing because the light  lemon syrup is the perfect finish. I can say I have been making this bread for over 20 years. Every time I make this recipe I get asked for it, Lemon Loaf is one of my sister-in-law’s favourites.

    What does stir just until moistened mean?

    Mix just until moistened means to combine the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened but the mixture is still slightly lumpy. I stir 15-16 times only and it always turns out perfect.

    Lemon Bread is perfect as a breakfast bread or even with afternoon tea. It is so easy to make, no need for beaters, it is very much like making muffins. All you need is a fork or pastry blender, (or your clean fingers will do to make the coarse crumbs, and a wooden spoon or spatula for mixing.

    Loaf on a white board.

    Substituting a Lemon Glaze for the Lemon Syrup

    The delicious lemony syrup is the perfect addition to this loaf, but if you prefer you can substitute with a simple lemon glaze. Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon or milk or cream.

    You want the glaze to be on the thick rather than thin. So you should start with 1 tablespoon of juice and go from there.

    FAQs

    Can I substitute the lemons?

    If you wish you could substitute with either limes, oranges or even mandarines. Do use fresh rather than bottled they make a big difference in taste.

    Can I make muffins instead of a loaf?

    Yes you can, I would probably bake for about 20-25 minutes, more or less, start to check after 20 minutes. 

    How to store it

    Wrap the completely cooled bread well in plastic wrap, it will keep for up to 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 7 days in the fridge.

    How to freeze lemon bread

    Wrap the completely cooled bread in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bread. If you freeze it glazed, let the glaze harden before wrapping. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

    Loaf with 2 slices cut.

    In my opinion this is one of the most delicious Lemon Loaves I have ever tried and I hope you think so too. Enjoy!

    More Lemon Recipes you may like.

    • Lemon Cheesecake Squares
    • Italian Lemon Crostata
    • Italian Fresh Cream Lemon Cake
    • Easy Lemon Squares
    • Tablespoon Italian Lemon Cake
    Sweet bread with 2 slices cut.

    Best Homemade Lemon Bread

    Rosemary Molloy
    A delicious Lemony Sweet bread with a simple glaze.
    4.34 from 326 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories 291 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
    • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt*
    • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
    • 3/4 cup butter softened*
    • 3 eggs (large)
    • 3/4 cup milk I used 2%)

    *If you use salted butter then use a pinch of salt.

      LEMON SYRUP

      • 4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (I used 1 medium lemon)
      • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

      Instructions
       

      • Pre-heat oven to 350° (180° celsius), grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
      • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 1/4 cups of sugar, add the softened butter and with a pastry blender or fork blend together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest.
      • In a small bowl add the eggs and beat lightly with a fork, add the milk and beat until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is moistened. Do not over mix.
      • In prepared loaf pan add the batter and bake for approximately 60 minutes, (this all depends on the oven, could be a little more or a little less) or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 15 – 20 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

      LEMON SYRUP

      • In a small pot add the 4 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar, over medium heat stirring constantly bring to a boil until thickened. With a pastry brush, brush syrup over the top of the cooled or even warmish bread. Enjoy!

      Notes

      Mix just until moistened means to combine the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened but the mixture is still slightly lumpy. I stir 15-16 times only and it always turns out perfect.
      The delicious lemony syrup is the perfect addition to this loaf, but if you prefer you can substitute with a simple lemon glaze. Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon or milk or cream.
      If you prefer you can make muffins instead of a loaf. I would probably bake for about 20-25 minutes, more or less, start to check after 20 minutes.
      To store the bread, wrap the completely cooled bread well in plastic wrap, it will keep for up to 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 7 days in the fridge.
      To freeze it, wrap the completely cooled bread in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bread. If you freeze it glazed, let the glaze harden before wrapping. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
       

      Nutrition

      Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 114mgSugar: 21gVitamin A: 430IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1.3mg
      Keyword easy lemon bread, homemade lemon bread, lemon loaf, lemon loaf recipe
      Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

      Updated from December 13, 2014.

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        Breakfast, Breakfast / Brunch, Desserts, fruit, Muffins & Sweet Breads

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        1. Melanie Beard says

          January 15, 2023 at 2:33 am

          5 stars
          I just made this. The only thing I changed was that I doubled the portion of syrup. No regrets! It’s yummy and it would go great with butter, citrus marmalade, and a nice cup of tea.

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            January 17, 2023 at 5:30 pm

            Hi Melanie, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. And yes more syrup is a great idea. Take care!

            Reply
        2. Lydia says

          December 10, 2022 at 9:18 pm

          5 stars
          Hi Rosemary! Thanks for this great recipe! I was looking for something in a lemon loaf without using a mixer. My poor old puppy has become afraid of my Kitchenaid after way too many years! Lol! So, I try to limit it’s use. This recipe was perfect! I doubled it, and made 4 loaves in 8×4 pans. My neighbors are very happy today! As is, my little guy! Mille grazie! Buon Natale!

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 12, 2022 at 5:59 pm

            Hi Lydia, thanks so much, aww your poor puppy, glad I could help! Take care!

            Reply
        3. JOYCE L MADRIGAL says

          August 27, 2022 at 6:57 pm

          Hello,

          Just curious if you happen to use an Italian flour versus the American all purpose flour? I keep reading that the flours made in Italy and in most of Europe are much healthier for us.

          Thank you very much.

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            August 28, 2022 at 7:02 pm

            Hi Joyce, to tell the truth the difference is mainly the type of wheat that is used, Italian flour uses a soft wheat whereas American wheat is a hard red wheat, this makes a flour with more gluten and more protein. I mainly use an Italian “Manitoba” or a 0 flour much like American all purpose, since it has a higher protein it keeps my cookies from spreading and is perfect for pizza and bread also. I use a 00 or cake flour for my cakes which will produce a softer more tender cake. Also Europe is also quite regulated in regards to genetically modified ingredients and they are probably illegal in most of Europe, also preservatives in foods are less, sprays and pesticides are probably used less. Fresh bread is just that, good the day it’s made, the next day it’s bruschetta! So when you get right down to it it probably is. Hope that helps. Take care!

            Reply
        4. Janice Weimer says

          June 19, 2022 at 5:04 am

          5 stars
          Best lemon bread I’ve ever made and at least 3 people from work want the recipe!

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            June 24, 2022 at 5:00 pm

            Hi Janice, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed and 3 people at your work. Take care and have a great weekend.

            Reply
        5. Joanne says

          May 6, 2022 at 4:29 am

          Hello dear lady
          I just wanted to say ,,to you,,i enjoy your beautiful recipe so much,,especially your cakes they are simply perfect !!God Bless
          Joanne .

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            May 7, 2022 at 10:01 am

            Hi Joanne, thanks so much, so glad you enjoy the recipes. God bless you too! Take care.

            Reply
        6. JENNIFER says

          May 2, 2022 at 12:22 am

          5 stars
          I made this today, and it was WONDERFUL! The reverse creaming made the texture so velvety, and I just love the perfectly lemony flavor. Five stars!

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            May 2, 2022 at 6:00 pm

            Hi Jennifer, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care and have a great week.

            Reply
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        Hi, I'm Rosemary.

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