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This Lemon Bread is an old-fashioned quick bread made with real butter, fresh lemons, and a simple sweet-tart glaze that soaks into every slice. It's soft, tender, and bright with a lightly crisp crust that will make you go back for just one more slice.
This recipe came straight from my Great-Grandma's kitchen, and just like her Hot Milk Cake, Texas Sheet Cake, and Banana Cake, it never disappoints.
Kristen's Keys for The Best Lemon Bread Recipe
Let me share the tips my great-grandmother shared with me so you can count on this recipe to deliver perfect results every time.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. Softened butter creams properly with sugar, trapping air. That air expands in the oven, giving you a tender, light crumb instead of a dense loaf.
- Don't skip the buttermilk (even if you make your own). The acidity helps tenderize the gluten and keeps the bread moist. No buttermilk? Stir fresh lemon juice into milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. It works beautifully.
- Zest the lemon before juicing it. Adding lemon zest to the quick bread gives it an intense lemon flavor that juice alone can't match. But it is next to impossible to zest a lemon after it has been cut open.
- Microwave your lemons. 15-20 seconds in the microwave gets the juices flowing better than rolling on the counter alone. It also helps to melt the sugar for the glaze.
How to Make My Great-Grandma's Lemon Bread
Let me walk you through making this glazed lemon bread, with a few tips along the way.
Step One: Prepare Your Loaf Pan
Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter. Add half a tablespoon of flour to the pan and shake to coat the bottom and sides. Shake out excess flour over a trash can or sink. That thin layer of flour creates insurance so your loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Step Two: Sift Dry Ingredients
Over a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This prevents clumps and evenly distributes the leavening so your bread rises evenly -- it is well worth the added effort!
Step Three: Cream Butter and Sugar
Beat the butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy. This usually takes 2-3 minutes with a mixer. If it still looks grainy and yellow, keep going. Once pale and fluffy, add the eggs and mix until smooth.
Step Four: Combine Batter
Add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and sifted dry ingredients to the creamed butter and fold together until just combined. Overworking quick bread batter develops gluten and makes the loaf tough instead of tender.
Step Five: Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly dry. Alternatively, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread. Perfectly baked quick bread should reach between 195-200°F.
As soon as the quick bread comes out of the oven, place the pan on a cooling rack. Use a skewer to poke holes halfway down into the loaf to let the glaze soak through the bread, further enhancing the lemon flavor.
Step Six: Glaze the Lemon Bread
Microwave the zested lemons for 15-20 seconds, then juice them over a small bowl. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until dissolved. The warm lemon juice will do the work quickly.
Once prepared, spoon the glaze evenly over the baked bread. To save time, I recommend making the glaze while the bread is in the oven.
Step Seven: Cool
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then loosen the edges and transfer it to a rack to cool completely. Let cool completely before slicing, to prevent crumbling.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free: I have made this lemon bread recipe several times using an all-purpose 1:1 Gluten-Free flour with success.
- Egg-Free: I have found that the best egg replacement for this lemon bread is to use plain Greek yogurt. To replace the eggs, use ⅓ cup of plain Greek yogurt. Keep in mind the texture of the bread will be denser.
- Add Strawberries: For a spring twist, try my recipe for Strawberry Lemon Bread.
- Ice instead of glaze. If you want the glaze to ice the lemon bread rather than soak into it, skip skewering the bread and let it cool fully. Pour the glaze over the cooled bread (removed from the pan) and let it harden at room temperature before slicing.
- Double the Recipe: Double the ingredients and divide the batter evenly between two 9-inch loaf pans. I suggest placing the pans on the same rack in the oven, leaving a couple of inches between each pan, and rotating them midway through baking.
More Quick Bread & Muffin Recipes
Glazed Lemon Bread
Video
Ingredients
For Loaf Pan
- ~½ tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- ~1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Lemon Bread
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk, or homemade buttermilk (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, ~2 large lemons
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ~2 large lemons
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Generously grease an 8.5-by-4.5-inch loaf pan with butter on all sides. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the pan, shake to coat, then flip over the sink or trash to remove excess flour.
- Over a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to evenly distribute.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Once pale and fluffy, mix in the eggs until combined.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients, buttermilk, and lemon zest to the creamed butter and sugar, then gently fold until just combined, using caution to not overmix.
- Transfer the prepared batter to the prepared loaf pan, spreading into an even layer.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly dry or with a few crumbs. Alternatively, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread. It is done when it reads between 195-200°F. If you are using a metal baking pan, begin checking on the bread after 40 minutes.
- While the bread bakes, whisk together the lemon juice with the remaining sugar until the sugar dissolves. Tip: It may help to warm up your lemon juice for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before whisking it with the sugar.
- After baking, place the pan on a cooling rack. Use a skewer to poke holes halfway down into the loaf.
- Pour the glaze over the lemon bread. Let the bread sit in the loaf pan for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, loosen the bread from the pan with a butter knife, then remove it and transfer it to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely before slicing and serving.
Equipment
- 8.5-inch by 4.5-inch loaf pan
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made double batch this weekend. Took a loaf this morning to a group of men that have coffee at a local establishment. Two thumbs up from them. Definately a keeper for sure! Thank you.
LOVE hearing this, Kate! Thank you for sharing your review--and this bread with others 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
Is there any way I can substitute yogurt for buttermilk? Would the volume be equivalent? Any advice would be most appreciated.
Hi Aikiko! It is possible! I would recommend mixing 1/3 cup of plain yogurt (not thick Greek yogurt) with 2 tablespoons of water in place of the buttermilk. I hope you enjoy!
That makes things much easier for me. Baking this up soon! Thank you so much!
You bet! Enjoy!
Oh wow - this was delicious and easy. Took a little longer to bake in my oven, but now I know I’ll write it on the recipe - all ovens are different!
This won’t last long once my boys try it! Thanks Kristen!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed and I hope your boys love it as much as my kids.
I doubled the recipe and follow directions. Both loaves fell in the middle. Any idea why?
Hi JoAnn! I am sorry that happened. Can you let me know what size pan you used? It may have been that your pan was slightly too large OR that your baking powder may be past its prime.
The absolute best! Mine was a little on the dry side. I followed the directions to a T and used milk. My eggs and butter were at room temp. Could I have over/under beat the butter, eggs and sugar?
Hi Paula! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe, despite it being a bit dry for your liking. It could have to do with the humidity (or lack of humidity) in the air, but more liking that the batter was overworked when the flour was added. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons more milk to the batter if you feel it looks really thick.
Thanks Kristen! I tried making the lemon bread with adding 4 teaspoons of poppyseeds and it turned out delicious!
Thank you for all your fantastic recipes and advice ...5+ stars!
So happy you enjoyed Harold! I may try adding them myself the next time!