The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Making lemon poppy seed quick bread from scratch is easy, and it's delicious as-is or with some lemony glaze. What's more, it looks pretty, is speckled with little poppy seeds, has an incomparably moist crumb, and is fascinatingly crunchy!

Lemon poppy seed bread is perfectly balanced. Not too sweet nor overwhelmingly lemony. It’s a soft, moist bread, almost like a lemon pound cake but not as heavy, so perfect with a cup of tea.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love lemon poppy seed bread?
• Ingredients
• How to make lemon poppy seed bread?
• Pro tips
• How to make glaze?
• Can you freeze the quick bread?
• More quick bread recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why you'll love lemon poppy seed bread?

Easy: A simple and straightforward recipe, ideal for beginner bakers.

Crowd-pleaser: It's a popular choice for gatherings, brunches, and potlucks.

Moist: The tender texture of the quick bread makes a lovely treat or snack for any time of day.

Delicious: The combination of zesty lemon and crunchy poppy seeds is just perfect for a fancy brunch.

Versatile: With a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of glaze, it’s a great dessert.

Ingredients

Flour: Opt for all-purpose flour, for the most tender crumb in your lemon poppy seed bread. You can also experiment with whole wheat flour or a blend of both for added depth of flavor and texture.

Poppy seeds: These little black-blue seeds give this lemon bread a wonderful delicate nutty crunch and give a lovely appearance to the crumb.

Sugar: I went with caster sugar, but cane sugar, raw sugar, or any type you like will work just as well.

Milk: Any kind will do. I personally prefer full-fat milk for that extra creaminess.

Oil: Don’t have sunflower oil? Use olive oil, coconut oil, or even melted butter to give your quick bread that delicious buttery touch.

Eggs make the easy lemon poppy seed bread richer and give it structure. In case you want to make the recipe without eggs by substituting it with flax eggs.

Lemon: Use whatever variety is locally available to you.

How to make lemon poppy seed bread?

Step 1: Set your oven to preheat and grease your loaf tin. I used an 8 by 4 inch one.

Step 2: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix.

Step 3: Whisk in poppy seeds and set the dry ingredients aside.

Step 4: Zest a lemon and rub sugar into it to make lemon-infused sugar (more on this in the notes).

Step 5: In another larger bowl, beat eggs and sugar till light, creamy, and pale. About 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 6: Pour the oil and lemon juice and mix well.

Step 7: Add half the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine.

Step 8: Pour milk into this lemon poppyseed bread batter. Mix.

Step 9: Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine just until no dry streaks are visible.

Step 10: Pour the lemon and poppy seed bread batter into the prepared tin and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 11: Let the quick bread cool in the pan before turning it out on a wire rack.

Optional step: Dress the lemon poppy seed bread with glaze.

Final step: Serve and savor.

Pro tips

• Don’t just fold the lemon zest and sugar into the ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Why? Because it gives the lemon poppy seed loaf cake an extra punch of lemony flavor and distributes it more evenly.
• Your eggs need to be at room temperature.
• And the milk needs to be lukewarm, not hot or cold.
• Finally, don’t overmix the batter of lemon and poppy seed loaf. Mix just enough so no white streaks are visible to get a soft, moist, and tender crumb.

How to make glaze?

Homemade lemon poppy seed bread is delicious with or without glaze. I wanted to dress it up simply. So I decided to mix icing sugar and lemon juice until I had a thick, smooth, and pourable consistency.

Drizzle the lemon poppy seed glaze on top. Let it set. And then slice the poppyseed bread.

Can you freeze the quick bread?

Yes, you can! You can freeze this bread (without glaze).

Let the lemon and poppy seed bread cool completely. Then wrap it in cling wrap or aluminum foil. This will keep well for 1 month. Thaw on the countertop for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Any leftovers can be stored, in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, if your kitchen is as hot as mine. If you’re enjoying cooler weather still, the countertop will work for 3 to 4 days.

📖 Recipe