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This Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Glaze is light, moist, and full of lemon flavor. Perfect for the summer and to give as a homemade gift for that special someone!
I have a confession to make. I have never been a fan of lemon recipes. Ever. Cakes, pies, cookies, you name it…lemon just wasn’t appealing to me.
Especially lemon meringue pies. Something about the texture of the actual pie and the meringue on top makes me recoil in disgust! Sorry to all you lemon meringue fans out there! I’m probably in the minority here. And you’re probably thinking two things right now: how in the world can you not like lemon? And why are you posting a lemon recipe?! Am I right?
Ok let me make a slight adjustment to what I just stated. I do enjoy lemon poppy seed muffins and more cakey-not-too-lemony type treats, but that’s about the extent of it. Make sense?
Anyways, I’ve been keeping this Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf recipe from you for several weeks now. The reason? These loaves were just too good to part with!
Only kidding (but these are out-of-this-world delicious)! I actually made these as Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Loaves for Mother’s Day, as a little treat for the hubster’s mom, my mom, and step-mom. I knew that my step-mom loved lemon, and figured that everyone else in the world (besides me) does too, so why not make something that both the moms and I would enjoy? Thus, enter these delicious bite-sized, mini loaves of lemon perfection!
And guess what? I actually devoured these Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Loaves! Well, the ones that the mothers’ didn’t receive, anyways. And the hubster adored these beauties, too. I mean, how could you not?
I love foods in mini form. There’s just something so eye appealing to me about mini desserts that make me want to snap pictures of them all day! And, now you’re thinking, weird Gayle, just weird! These mini loaves are full of lemon flavor, but not too-overpowering for those that don’t adore lemons. They also work perfectly as a home-made gift for that special someone.
Ingredients in Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Glaze
The ingredients in this lemon poppy seed loaf recipe are fairly simple. In fact, you probably have most ingredients in your kitchen already (which is a huge bonus in my book). And to make these mini loaves on the lighter side, I used Greek yogurt in place of the oil in this recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this lemon poppy seed bread with glaze:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Poppy seeds
- Lemons
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla bean paste or extract
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Glaze
To start, you first want to mix your dry ingredients together. So into a bowl goes the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds and lemon zest. In another bowl, you’ll cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the eggs, vanilla, yogurt and lemon juice.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan (or muffin tin), bake until golden brown on the edges, and let cool.
While the loaves are cooling, prepare the glaze. Simply mix together the juice of one or two lemons and powdered sugar. Simple, right?
These Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Loaves turned out light, moist and delicious! I knew the moms would adore their mini cuteness and love the mild lemon flavor. I wrapped the loaves in decorative cellophane bags and delivered them on Mother’s Day. And guess what? They were a hit! The moms enjoyed the lemon flavor, enveloped in a moist and airy mini loaf.
Can I Use a Regular Loaf Pan?
Yes! If you don’t have a mini loaf pan, feel free to use a regular 9×5-inch loaf pan, or even a muffin tin.
How Many Mini Loaves Are in a Regular Loaf?
This recipe makes approximately 10 mini loaves (my loaf pan is about 3.28 x 2.5 inches). There are usually three mini loaves in one standard size loaf, so this recipe actually makes two lemon poppy seed breads!
Tips for the Best Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- I used the juice of one lemon in the batter, which resulted in a mild lemon flavor. But if you want your loaves to have a more prominent lemon taste, feel free to add more.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter, otherwise your batter will become tough. And we want to be sure these mini loaves come out light and moist!
- A few readers have used lemon-flavored Greek yogurt instead of plain to amp up the lemon flavor. I love that idea!
The next time you want to make something to give away, why not try these Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Loaves? I guarantee you’ll love the lemon flavor and will make them again and again!
Looking for More Lemon Recipes? I’ve Got You Covered!
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 lemon , zested and juiced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Glaze:
- 2 lemons , juiced
- 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Stir thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla, yogurt, and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Pour batter into mini loaves, filling about ¾ full. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes in loaf pan. Then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, stir together the lemon and powdered sugar until reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled loaves.
How to Philosophize with Cake says
I’m a fan of lemon desserts, but not to worry if you can manage these softs of quick breads. 🙂 I love mini loaves too, they’re so adorable!
Gayle says
Thanks for the compliments! I think you would love these mini loaves, full of lemon flavor!
Mary Frances says
I guess that means more for me! 🙂 I love the citrus of lemon desserts and refreshing and bright they are. I like meringue, but I like sweet bread even better. Lemon poppy seed is one of my all time favorites and these loaves are so cute, yet I would bet so addictive!
Gayle says
Thanks, Mary Frances! I wish I liked lemon desserts more, but these mini loaves really hit the spot for me! Not too lemony and light!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
I just love lemon in the spring time! Lemon poppy seed baked goods might be my favorite. Love that these loaves are mini! So cute!
Gayle says
Thanks, Natalie! Lemon definitely reminds me of the spring and summer. And I had a great time baking with poppy seeds, too!
Danielle says
I’m a huge fan of lemon desserts, these are so cute! I’m pinning these for later, I need to go buy poppy seeds now! By the way I’m making your baked donuts this weekend for my husband’s birthday. The man could eat donuts all day long. I can’t wait to make them for him.
Gayle says
This was my first time baking with poppy seeds and I loved them! Now I have to think of what to use them in next. I hope you and your husband love the donuts! My husband loves donuts, too…especially chocolate ones! I would love to hear how they turned out if you make them!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
I think lemon must be one of those flavours that divides because my husband doesn’t like lemon meringue pie or lemon-flavoured cakes, either. I, on the other hand, love them! I love lemon on or in anything, really. Such cute little cakies! I know what you mean about the appeal of ‘mini’ things. I’ve just bought a couple of mini cake pans and am dying to try them out, too! 🙂
Gayle says
Your husband just might like these mini loaves, lemony, but not too strong. I think this would be a great recipe to try out with your mini cake pans!
Jess @ Sweet Menu says
Oh yum! I just love lemon! I really need to get hold of a mini loaf pan because these are just too cute!
Gayle says
I think you would have a lot of fun using a mini loaf pan! So many recipes to try, and these lemon loaves are the perfect ones to test out!
Annie @Maebells says
These look fantastic, so moist and fluffy! We love lemon, it was actually the flavor of our wedding cake! 🙂
Gayle says
Thanks, Annie! I’m sure your lemon wedding cake was delicious!
Meg says
You know, it’s funny — as a kid, I definitely could not get down with anything citrus-flavored. A lemon dessert would not have interested me in the least. But now, as an adult? Obsessed. These look delicious! How could they not be a big hit?
Gayle says
Thanks, Meg! These loaves have just the right amount of lemon flavored. Perfect for all the citrus fans out there!
Christine says
Looks and sounds yummy!!
I am wondering what size your mini loaf pans are? at 10 per recipe this would work great for a bake sale!
Gayle says
Thank you, Christine! My mini loaf pan holds 8 loafs per pan, and I believe it’s around 3.28×2.5 size. I hope you love these if you make them for a bake sale!
Dawnee says
Made these for a bake sale fundraiser and they were a hit! The ONLY thing I changed was that I used lemon yogurt instead of plain. I doubled the recipe and I guess my mini loaf pans weren’t quite as mini as yours but it made 10 loaves. Very happy with this recipe!
Gayle says
I’m so glad to hear that, Dawnee! I love that you used lemon yogurt! Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know how these turned out!
Angie says
We love this recipe! Wondering how long you would bake it for in a regular loaf pan?
Gayle says
Hi Angie! I’m so happy to hear that! I haven’t tried baking this specific loaf in a regular size pan, but I would add maybe 5-10 minutes onto the time and go from there. Just keep an eye on the oven. Again, just a guess since I haven’t tested that with these mini loaves. Thanks for stopping by!
Eva C says
Hi, I followed the recipe exactly but I had to bake mine for 32 minutes rather than the 13-15 you suggested. Is that a typo? That sounds more like the minutes for a cookie, not a loaf cake. The cakes were very delicious though!
Gayle says
Hi Eva! Thanks for letting me know! Every oven is different, as are the loaf pans. Mine took around 15 minutes since they were so small. Glad you enjoyed!
Eva M. says
If you do not use the yogurt do you use 1 cup of oil?
Gayle says
Hi Eve! I’ve never used oil in this recipe, but yes, I would try one cup of oil instead of the yogurt. Again, I’m not quite sure how the texture/taste will be affected, though. Hope you enjoy!