If you are a fan of lemon-flavored things, you MUST make this ultimate lemon bread. It has fresh lemon in both the bread and the glaze. This bright and sunny loaf will brighten your day!
I love lemon flavored things. As a child, I would also gravitate towards the lemon-flavored Skittles, gummy bears and Starburst candies. True story. In these dark and gloomy winter days, I like eating lemon-flavored things to help brighten my mood and make me feel like I’m in a tropical location (at least temporarily).
This lemon loaf bread was so fantastic that I called it the Ultimate lemon bread. I very rarely call anything “Ultimate” on Eva Bakes, unless it it absolutely, positively the best. There is so much lemon in the bread and in the glaze, so there is definitely no lack of lemon flavor here.
I used fresh lemon in my bread and my glaze, but if you don’t have fresh lemons or would rather use lemon extract instead, you can definitely do that. Both my husband and daughter’s eyes perked up when they took their first bites of this bread. Their reactions were, “Whoo, this is really lemony!” My response was, “Good! That’s the goal.” So if you’d rather dial down on the lemon flavor, you can decrease the amounts of lemon.
Hope this lemon loaf bread brightens your day like it did mine!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Ultimate lemon bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 1 and ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice I used the juice from 1 lemon
- ½ cup milk room temperature
Glaze
- juice and zest from 1 lemon
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line a standard 9"x5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes until well incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. The batter will curdle, and that is OK and expected.
- Alternate adding the flour and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool slightly before cooling completely on a wire rack.
- Once the bread is cool, make the glaze. Combine the lemon juice, half of the zest and powdered sugar in a small bowl. If the glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice (milk can work as well, in a pinch). Pour this on top of the loaf and sprinkle on the remaining lemon zest.
- Allow the glaze to set before slicing and serving.