Lemon Poppyseed Loaf
If you’ve ever tried making a lemon poppyseed loaf that didn’t quite turn out the way you had hoped, this recipe will be sure to renew your confidence. It’s tangy, moist and the flavour only seems to get better by the day. Even the most inexperienced baker can pull this one off successfully–it’s that easy!
That’s because this loaf is a “quick bread,” meaning you don’t use yeast as a levainer and there is no kneading required. All the dry ingredients get mixed in one bowl, all the wet in another. Then you add the dry ingredients to the wet, spread into a pan and bake.
Can I Leave The Poppyseeds Out?
Yes you can! If you would rather just have a plain lemon loaf, you do not need to add the poppyseeds. Plus you might not have any on hand, so feel free to just leave them out.
Can I Substitute The Poppyseeds For Something Else?
Yes but it depends what you would like to substitute them for. If you wanted to add blueberries or raspberries instead, you would need 1 cup of either fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries. Additionally, you would need to toss them in a couple of tablespoons of flour to coat them well. This prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom while baking.
How Do I Store Lemon Poppyseed Loaf?
Keep it wrapped in plastic and in an airtight container to seal in maximum freshness. Not only will it stay fresh but the flavour will actually improve. You can store it at room temperature or in the fridge, but keeping it at room temperature will help it stay soft.
Can I Freeze Lemon Poppyseed Loaf?
Yes! You can freeze it by wrapping it in plastic and storing it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
How Long Does Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Last?
Lemon poppyseed loaf will last for 5 days at room temperature or up to a week if stored in the refrigerator.
Tips For Making The Best Lemon Poppyseed Loaf
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Many times if your baked goods are not rising very high or are turning out heavy, it could mean your baking powder or baking soda are past their expiry date. If you do not bake very often and can’t really remember when you purchased them, you might need to swap them out for fresh ones.
- Have all your ingredients at room temperature. When ingredients are at different temperatures, they do not mix properly. Normally splitting occurs because the extreme differences in temperature do not allow for proper emulsification, so you get a curdled look to your batter. Sometimes this is harmless, but with certain baked goods this can result in grease spots throughout the texture of your cake or bread after baking.
- Do not over mix the batter. One of the toughest challenges is knowing when to stop mixing when adding the dry ingredients to the wet. Always mix in 3 stages so you are not overwhelmed with a massive amount of dry ingredients to incorporate. This leads to over mixing. And when you do mix in 3 stages, stop as soon as you see all traces of flour have disappeared.
- Allow your loaf to cool completely before slicing. Even though it’s tempting to slice into a warm loaf, the texture actually continues to develop as it cools. In fact, it keeps cooking as it cools! Besides you have to let it cool before adding the glaze, so allowing it to cool completely is best.
I hope you’ll go out and buy some lemons and poppyseeds and give this one a try—and if you do, let me know how it turned out for you!
Lemon Poppyseed Loaf
Ingredients
- 300 grams all purpose flour 2 cups
- 10 grams baking powder 2 teaspoons
- 20 grams poppyseeds 2 tablespoons
- 3 grams salt ½ teaspoon
- 90 grams oil ½ cup
- 200 grams sugar 1 cup
- 300 grams sour cream 1 cup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice juice of 1 large lemon
- 4 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
GLAZE
- 150 grams confectioner's sugar
- 25 grams lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease and flour a 9"x 5" loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine all purpose flour, baking powder, poppyseeds and salt. Whisk together to thoroughly combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together oil with sugar using a rubber spatula until smooth. Add sour cream, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat well by hand until mixture is smooth.
- Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, mixing until flour is barely visible between each addition. Do not over mix. If there are slight traces of flour still visible after final addition that is okay.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. It may take closer to 70 minutes depending on your oven. Allow loaf to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto cooling rack.
- Prepare glaze only when loaf is cooled completely. Combine confectioner's sugar and lemon juice and beat vigorously by hand until very smooth. Glaze should be quite thick and almost frosting like; add more sugar or lemon juice accordingly. Drizzle back and forth over loaf until entirely covered and smooth out if desired. Allow glaze to set for 1 hour before serving.