Home » Sweet & Savory Breads » Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This citrus infused Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is just the ticket when Meyer lemons start hitting the produce department of the grocery store.  It’s the perfect size for those moments you’re in the mood for a small batch sweet treat and the glaze makes it almost cake-like.  Serve this bite of sunshine with a cup of hot tea or coffee and sit back and savor the small things that mean the most in life.

Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Bread

Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe

What is a Meyer lemon? The difference between regular and Meyer lemons is generally associated with size, appearance and color. Meyer lemons are a late winter fruit, more round than their counterparts with a taste that is reminiscent of a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. The pulp of a Meyer lemon is also slightly darker in color. Meyer  lemons and regular lemons can of course, be used interchangeably in recipes like this yogurt bread so, don’t sweat it if you can’t find them. How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Prepare Pan – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x5x 4-inch loaf pan or spray with baking spray. Set aside. (Alternately use two 8×4 inch loaf pans and divide the batter)
  • Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • Wet Ingredients – In a separate medium bowl whisk together the oil, butter, yogurt, eggs, zest, juice and poppy seeds.
  • Combine – Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until fully combined.
  • Transfer to Pan – Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan.
  • Bake – Bake per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
  • Cool – Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Glaze – Once cooled drizzle the glaze over the loaf. Garnish with additional lemon zest.
Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Bread

How to Make the Best Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe

This lemon bread is ideal for serving at breakfast, brunch, at tea or any time of day when a small batch sweet treat will do. So, brew some coffee, bake this bread and enjoy.

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: All purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, plain Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, melted butter, large eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds. For the glaze you’ll need Meyer lemon juice and powdered sugar plus additional zest for garnishing.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer, citrus zester, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, large bowl, medium bowl, small bowl and cooling rack.
  • Please note: The loaf pan I used for this recipe is larger than a standard pan. If you don’t have one, divide the batter between two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans or you could bake it in a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. You could also bake this in a standard size Bundt pan. Don’t guess at the size, measure to be sure.
  • When changing the pan shape, the baking time may also need to be adjusted. Always bake this lemon poppy seed bread until the center springs back when gently tapped or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes back clean.
  • You can use the same amount of sour cream in this recipe in place of Greek yogurt, if preferred.
  • If you’d like to make this Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Bread in advance, it freezes beautifully. When doing so, bake and cool completely then wrap in freezer wrap. It will keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then glaze the bread just before serving.
  • While I use Meyer lemons for this bread, you can of course, substitute any variety of lemon or fresh lemon juice.
  • Store Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Bread chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
glazed lemon bread on a baking rack

More Easy Lemon Desserts to Make

Thanks for visiting come back soon!

Disclosure ~ If  a purchase is made using one of the affiliate links on this website we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Helpful Kitchen Items:

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Cool time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: lemon-poppy-seed-bread, meyer-lemon-poppy-seed-bread
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 405kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • Bread:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 8 oz unflavored Greek yogurt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 medium lemons zested
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
  • Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • Additional lemon zest for garnishing Optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x5x 4-inch loaf pan or spray with baking spray. Set aside. (Alternately use two 8×4 inch loaf pans and divide the batter)
  • In a large bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • In a separate medium bowl whisk together the oil, butter, yogurt, eggs, zest, juice and poppy seeds.
  • Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until fully combined. Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Once cooled, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the loaf. Garnish with additional lemon zest, if desired.

Notes

  • Please note: The loaf pan I used for this recipe is larger than a standard pan. If you don’t have one, divide the batter between two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans or you could bake it in a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. You could also bake this in a standard size Bundt pan. Don’t guess at the size, measure to be sure. 
  • When changing the pan shape, the baking time may also need to be adjusted. Always bake this lemon poppy seed bread or any sweet bread, until the center springs back when gently tapped or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes back clean.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was the third recipe I have tried and finally found the one to keep! I put mine in an 8 x 11 pan and it was very full (I think using loaf pans take too long to get done in the middle–my personal thoughts). I do always substitute 1/3-1/2 of the flour with almond or quinoa so I did to that and also instead of the oil and 1/2 cup of the sugar, I used natural applesauce. Still tasted fabulous! Thanks for a great recipe!

  2. Made your recipe for lemon poppy seed bread…after 20 minutes in the oven the batter started to flow over the sides of the loaf pan, made a mess in my oven…it almost seemed like there was too much batter for that size of loaf pan??I’m not sure why this happened I followed the recipe exactly…have you ever had this happen? The eggs I used were large could that have made the difference?

    1. You probably didn’t do anything wrong, the pan sounds as if it was too small. You can make this in any size loaf pan rule of thumb being, fill 2/3 full. If the pan you’re using is smaller, you likely have enough batter for 2 loaves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating