Lemon Bread
This refreshingly delicious lemon bread is baked to soft cake-like perfection and topped with a shell of homemade lemon glaze. Perfect for snacking or gifting!
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Table of Contents
About Lemon Bread
With the refreshing taste of lemon, this glazed lemon bread is like having a cake-like dessert for breakfast, lunch, or as an easy snack.
Plus, this lemon bread travels well, making it a great choice as a tasty gift or a crowd-pleasing treat to bring to a party.
How many lemons do you need?
This recipe calls for about 1/4 cup lemon juice and roughly three tablespoons of lemon zest. For the zest alone, you’ll need about two lemons total. Squeezing two lemons would also give you plenty of lemon juice for this recipe.
You can also use storebought lemon juice for this recipe.
How long is lemon bread good for?
How long this bread lasts will depend on how you store it, as well as whether or not you’ve already drizzled it with the lemon glaze.
Without glaze: This bread can be stored in a sealed container on the counter for up three or four days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
With glaze: The bread can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
And like most homemade bread, the flavor of this loaf will intensify after two days.
Can you freeze lemon bread?
Yes, you totally can!
When stored in an airtight container or freezer bag, this cake bread will keep its “best” quality for about two or three months. After that point, the texture of the bread might change, but it will remain good for up to six months frozen.
Notes & tips for lemon bread
- If you’d like the glaze to have a pop of color, mix in a few drops of yellow food coloring.
More delicious bread recipes
Other recipes with lemon & lime
How to make lemon bread
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this bowl aside for now.
Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip together the sugar, olive oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract until smooth.
Step 3 – Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, then mix well.
Step 4 – Add the lemon zest to the batter, then use a spatula to fold it in.
Step 5 – Spray a 9×5 bread loaf pan with baking spray, then pour the bread batter in. Use a spatula to smooth out the top into a single layer.
Step 6 – Bake!
Step 7 – While the baked bread cools, prepare the lemon glaze by adding powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a small bowl, then whisk them all together.
Step 8 – Drizzle the lemon glaze over the baked bread as you see fit.
Step 9 – Serve and enjoy!
Lemon Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Bread
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the Lemon Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 bread loaf pan with baking spray, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set bowl aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), whip together sugar, olive oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract on medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Drop mixer speed to low and slowly blend in dry ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until dry ingredients incorporate and there are minimal clumps, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove bowl from mixer. Add lemon zest to bowl and use a spatula to gently fold it into the batter.2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Batter should be thin enough that it settles easily within the pan. If not, tap pan a few times on the counter to even it out and release any air bubbles. Make a small, lengthwise cut, about 1/2 inch deep, along the center of the bread.
- Bake bread for 50-55 minutes or until a tester toothpick comes out clean. Tip: Check the bread after 30-35 minutes. It if appears top is getting too brown, cover pan with a piece of aluminum foil for remaining 20-25 minutes.
- Allow bread to cool in the pan for 15-25 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Lemon Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1/4 cup lemon juice
- If you’d like glaze to be thinner, add a small splash of lemon juice until desired consistency is reached. If you’d like glaze to be thicker, add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar at a time until glaze is thick enough.
Putting it All Together
- Once bread has cooled, drizzle lemon glaze on top.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
