Best Homemade Lemon Loaf
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.
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!
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Butter
- Zest
- Eggs
- Milk
Glaze
- Juice
- Sugar
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 part of the 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 until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in the pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small pot add the lemon juice and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Best Homemade Lemon Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (approximately 1 lemon)
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt*
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter softened*
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk (whole or 2% milk)
*If you use salted butter then use a pinch of salt.
LEMON SYRUP
- 4 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 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
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.
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. 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.Substitute 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.How to store the lemon bread
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
Updated from December 13, 2014.
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I love lemons too! This bread is gorgeous!! Was that cologne Jean Nate? Lol
Hi Karen, haha I think it was Jean Nate, and there was another one too, but I can’t remember. I loved smelling like a lemon. 🙂
I’m a lemon lover too Rosemary! I bet this bread is so tasty! I love all of the fresh lemon zest you add, I think that brightens up a recipe so much. Looks amazing!!
Hi Whitney thanks, can’t go wrong with lemons.
This looks Heavenly! I LOVE lemon! I’ll be making this soon!
Thanks Megan hope you enjoy it.
Has anyone made these into muffins? Curious because I like to make as a muffing and freeze them so that my husband can grab them on his way to work, Let me know, I am going to try them that way, but would love to know if anyone has had any success baking them that way.
By the way LOVE Italy! My family is from Gaeta and we visit often. Lucky you to be living there.
Hi Joanne, I have never heard anyone make these into muffins, let me know how they turn out. I hear it is beautiful in Gaeta. Have a great weekend.
Made this today and it is delicious. In my oven, an hour pushes it, but I will adjust that next time… and there will definitely be a next time. I was looking for a little more pronounced lemon flavor, but again, I can make that suit our taste. Loved the glaze. Overall, I’d highly recommend this recipe to all of you who thought it looked good because it really is good. Thank you, Rosemary, for a wonderful addition to my recipe box.
Hi Donna, thanks, so glad you like it, and yes that is the good part, want it more lemony, add more lemon. Have a good week.
Loves baby soft was the perfume.Bought at a drugstore and it came in LEMON SCENT:)
Was my favorite as well.This bread is outstanding and is going into the NEVER LOOSE FILE
Hi Kristin thanks, so glad you like it. One day I will have to look for that scent. Happy New Year.
Lemon is my fave! Definitely putting this on my Christmas baking list! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks JC hope you enjoy it! Have a great week.
This is in my oven as we speak! Looks and smells delicious so far, and I cannot wait to put the glaze on!
Hi Courtney, hope you enjoyed it! One of our favourites. Have a great weekend.
Hi! I am brand new to your site. Oh, how happy I am! I can taste this lemon bread now. This is an “immediate make” for me. I cannot tell you how I envy you. I know that isn’t right but it is the truth. Oh my, to live in Italy……………I can only dream. I’ll be watching for your blog posts!
Hi Linda, thanks, hope you enjoyed the Lemon Bread. Happy Easter!
This looks delicious, I love anything lemon! Thanks for sharing with Tasty Tuesdays.
Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker! I hope to see you there!
Judy
I LOVE lemon bread and this one looks amazing!!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
This looks and sound amazing! I love lemon but have never made a lemon quick bread, I need to try this! Visiting from The Weekend Social 🙂
Hi Joy, Thanks for visiting and I hope you try this lemon bread. Let me know.
This looks so moist and delicious! Pinning to try, as we adore lemon. I love that you live in Italy and look forward to reading your posts!
Hi Andrea, thanks, yes living in Italy is certainly an experience! Have a great weekend.
You had me at LEMON! This will be in my Christmas baskets!