Kevin Is Cooking | Breads | Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

By Kevin

published Mar 02, 2015, updated Oct 12, 2022

5 from 2 votes

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A perfect breakfast bread, tea time snack or dessert, my Lemon Poppy Seed Bread has lemon zest and candied lemon bits in the batter for added lemon flavor and is topped with a delicious glaze.

So the lemon tree in my yard is out of control. The neighbors’ that hangs in my yard, is out of control. It took my little tree two years before it started producing and now… Who am I to complain? I’m making lemonade out of lemons people! Not only lemonade, but Lemon Cashew Pesto, Lemon Curd, Strawberry Lemon Bars, candied lemons and even this super moist Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Candied Lemon. I just can’t let these beauties go to waste.

For this bread recipe I wanted a little crunch, but really wasn’t in the mood for a nut bread and poppy seeds came to mind. I figured they’d be a nice touch and to jazz the bread up a bit I would not only add zest to the batter, but like my Maple Banana Bran Muffins I would top it off with a glaze. A lemon juice and zest glaze in fact, to soak in as the bread cools.

In looking at my lemon bowl I had so many of them I thought I’d candy some of them too. Why not add some of them chopped to the bread batter and call it a day.

First off I needed to make the candied lemons so they could cool and them I would chop them to place in the poppy seed batter. I made quite a few so I’ll dip the remaining ones in some white chocolate for a little treat later.

OK, let’s make the candied lemons. They’re easier than you might think. A quick poach and then a hour simmer in a simple syrup.

Thinly slice the lemons and discard any seeds. Set up a bowl with ice and water to shock lemons and stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Bring a stock pot of water to boil, add the lemon slices and boil for one minute and stir. With a slotted spoon remove slices from boiling water and into the bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes, then drain.

In a large skillet add sugar and water stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon slices in a single layer and simmer for about an hour, until lemon rinds are translucent.

Carefully remove the lemon slices and cool on wire rack. Be careful as the syrup is way hot! No need to burn yourself. Pretty easy, right?

Now save the syrup in the pan because this is what we are going to use to drizzle over the top of the baked loaf. Add the juice and zest of one lemon to the syrup and stir. Allow it to cool and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a loaf pan or stone baking dish, set aside.

Add butter, sugar and two tablespoons of lemon zest to the the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Turn off mixer, add eggs and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Turn off mixer, add yogurt and lemon juice and mix to incorporate completely.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add poppy seeds and add to sugar egg mixture in two batches, mixing to blend completely before next addition. Add 6 chopped candied lemons to the mixer and finish mixing until blended.

Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth top. I broke out my trusty baking stone, love these pans. They’re like a good cast iron skillet, if seasoned well, and clean up is always a breeze.

Bake for 50 minutes. If top gets brown tent with some foil and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place on a wire rack to cool completely and spoon lemon syrup over the bread in two passes, allowing it to soak up the glaze each time.

Allow to cool completely and slice. This was perfect on it’s own. We even toasted some the next morning and buttered each slice.

This is some good stuff and the chopped candied lemon are a perfect addition. Each bite of this moist and flavorful poppy seed lemon bread is enhanced with the bits of candied lemon.

The delicious glaze soaked in perfectly and each slice is heavenly. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread – this poppy seed bread has lemon zest and candied lemon bits. Topped with a delicious glaze. Prep time includes 60 minutes to make candied lemons.

Servings: 8 servings

Prep: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook: 55 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Candied Lemons

• ▢ 4 lemons
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 cups water

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 tbsp lemon zest separated
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 3 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
• ▢ 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions 

• For the Candied Lemons
• Thinly slice 3 lemons and discard any seeds.
• Set up a bowl with ice and water to shock lemons and stop cooking process. Set aside.
• Bring a stock pot of water to boil, add the lemon slices and boil for one minute and stir. With a slotted spoon remove slices from boiling water and into the bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes, then drain.
• In a large skillet add sugar and water stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
• Add lemon slices in a single layer and simmer for about an hour, until lemon rinds are translucent.
• Carefully remove the lemon slices and cool on wire rack.
• Save the syrup in the pan because this is what we are going to use to drizzle over the top of the baked loaf. Add the juice and zest of reserved lemon to the syrup and stir. Allow it to cool and set aside.
• For the Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a loaf pan or stone baking dish, set aside.
• Add butter, sugar and two tablespoons of lemon zest to the the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Turn off mixer, add eggs and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Turn off mixer, add yogurt and lemon juice and mix to incorporate completely.
• In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add poppy seeds and add to sugar egg mixture in two batches, mixing to blend completely before next addition. Add 6 chopped candied lemons to the mixer and finish mixing until blended.
• Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth top. Bake for 50 minutes. If top gets brown tent with foil and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Place on a wire rack to cool completely and spoon lemon syrup over the bread in two passes, allowing it to soak up the glaze each time. Allow to cool completely and slice.

Notes

Bread adapted from CookingClassy.

Nutrition

Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 25.8mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Western

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

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