This is the BEST Lemon Bread recipe! It comes straight from my great grandma's recipe box and produces Lemon Bread that is tender, moist, and full of bright lemon flavor.
Just like my recipes for Hot Milk Cake and Banana Cake, this lemon bread recipe comes straight from my Great-Grandma's hand-written recipe card. And after one bite, you will agree that this Lemon Bread is truly the best.
Reasons to Love This Lemon Bread Recipe
- Tender and Flavorful Quick Bread Recipe. This lemon bread is soft, tender, buttery, and bursting with lemon flavor.
- Irresistible Glaze. Instead of being iced with frosting, this lemon bread is finished with a sweet and tart glaze made from fresh lemon juice and sugar. It not only enhances the lemon flavor of the quick bread but adds a slightly crispy exterior to the lemon bread of your dreams!
- Perfect for Dessert, Brunch, or a Snack! Lemon bread is a sweet treat that is perfect year-round, but especially delightful in the Spring. It makes a sweet addition to an Easter Brunch when served with an Asparagus Frittata and Oven Baked Bacon or finishes a meal, like Honey Lemon Chicken, on a sweet note.
Note on Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for this quick-bread recipe
- Butter: For rich, tender lemon bread be sure to use unsalted butter, not oil, for the best results.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk keeps this bread super moist and tender. But there is no need to keep buttermilk on hand just to make lemon bread. Instead, you can add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to a glass measuring cup. Pour in enough milk to reach ½ cup total liquid and use that mixture in place of buttermilk.
- Lemons: For the best lemon flavor, you need fresh lemons for both their zest and juice. Never use jarred lemon juice or lemon extract when making lemon bread.
- Salt: Most of my recipes use kosher salt, but in this recipe, it is best to use iodized salt (table salt.)
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free Lemon Bread: I have made this lemon bread recipe several times using an all-purpose 1:1 Gluten-Free flour with success.
- Egg-Free Lemon Bread: 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.
∗ important to remember ∗
Before we get to the recipe for Lemon Bread, let me give you some tips that will ensure you have perfect results.
- Butter and flour your loaf pan. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter. Add a half tablespoon of flour to the pan and shake to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Shake out excess flour over a trash can or sink. This will truly help your lemon bread not stick to your pan.
- Start with room-temperature butter and eggs. This is key to a tender quick bread recipe!
- Zest the lemon BEFORE slicing it open! It is next to impossible to zest any fruit after it has been sliced open.
- Microwave your lemons. This may sound crazy but I find it extremely helpful to microwave my lemon for 30 seconds before juicing. This gets the juices flowing plus the warm lemon juice helps to dissolve the sugar when you prepare the glaze.
How to Make Glazed Lemon Bread
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Sift Dry Ingredients. To prevent lumps in your baked lemon bread, it is best to sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step Two: Cream Butter. With a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, cream together butter, eggs, and sugar together until light in color and fluffy.
Step Three: Fold Ingredients together. Add sifted flour, milk, and lemon zest into creamed ingredients and fold the batter until just combined. Keep in mind you never want to overwork a quick bread batter, or your quick bread could turn out dense.
Step Four: Bake. Bake the lemon bread in the prepared loaf pan until set. You can test if your lemon bread is baked through by inserting a toothpick. When it comes out dry your bread is done baking. Or you can gently touch the top of the bread, if it springs back, it is ready.
Step Five: Glaze the Lemon Bread. Once the lemon bread is done baking, place it on a cooling rack and immediately poke holes into the bread using a wooden or metal skewer, halfway down the loaf. Pour the lemon glaze over the bread, allowing the glaze to sink into the bread.
Step Six. Cool. Let the bead sit in the loaf pan for 10 minutes to cool. Then loosen the sides with a butter knife and remove lemon bread from pan. Let cool completely before serving.
How to Store Lemon Bread
- Storage: Once fully cooked, place the lemon bread in an airtight container. Store for 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days if refrigerated.
- Freeze: Allow the bread to cool completely after being baked and glazed. Wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and place into a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. I have found if frozen any longer, the intensity of the lemon flavor begins to fade. Allow the bread to defrost in the refrigerator.
More Quick Bread & Muffin Recipes
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Pineapple Zucchini Bread
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
If you enjoyed this recipe straight from my great grandma's kitchen, I would love for you to leave a comment and review.
The Best Lemon Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Bread
- ½ cup butter softened (this is one stick of butter)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Generously grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter on the bottom and sides of the loaf pan. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the pan, shaking to coat. Be sure to shake out any excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk to evenly distribute salt and baking powder.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, eggs, and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, along with the milk and lemon zest. Fold to evenly incorporate batter. Be careful to not overmix, just mix until the flour is fully moistened.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a lemon loaf comes out clean.
- While lemon bread is baking, whisk together lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Tip: it may help to warm up your lemon juice for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before whisking with sugar.
- After the bread is baked, leave your lemon bread in a loaf pan and poke holes halfway to the bottom of the pan evenly along the top of the bread.
- Pour the glaze over the lemon bread. Let the bread sit in the loaf pan for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, loosen the sides of the bread from the edges of the pan with a butter knife, then remove the bread from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Lynda
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!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed and I hope your boys love it as much as my kids.