Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

5 from 3 votes
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This lemon poppy seed bread is light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet thanks to a delicious lemon glaze. It is a great snack or breakfast bread for any day of the week.

A piece of lemon poppy seed bread on a plate.
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Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Lemon poppy seed bread is one of those recipes that brings back memories of summer when you take a your first bite. The lemony flavor and crunchy bite you get from the poppy seeds makes a sweet and satisfying summer snack.

We love this poppy seed bread because it is a light and fluffy loaf recipe that you can enjoy for breakfast with a cup of coffee or with dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

top Tips before starting

  • Be sure you use a light colored aluminum pan or even a ceramic pan for this lemon poppy seed bread recipe. Using a darker pan will leave you with darker edges.
  • After pouring the batter into the loaf pan, be sure to get the bread into the oven right way. Baking soda reacts immediately with the acid and won’t rise properly if left to sit out for more than a minute or 2.
  • Do not substitute any sweetener with honey. The honey will sink to the bottom of your bread and leave your bread with a burnt bottom and taste.
  • If you don’t have sunflower oil, you can use coconut oil or vegetable oil.
  • Remember that every oven heats differently. Be sure that you check the temperature of your oven before baking.
  • We do not recommend that you substitute any other flour in this recipe.
The dry ingredients for lemon poppy seed bread in a bowl.

All-purpose flour – using all purpose flour makes this lemon poppyseed bread light and fluffy. Using a whole wheat or white whole wheat would make this a denser bread and change the color from light to dark.

Baking soda and baking powder – we use both baking soda and baking powder to encourage a higher rise in the lemon poppyseed bread.

Poppy seedsit’s in the name, people! Poppy seeds give this soft and fluffy bread a little mini crunch.

Sunflower seed oil – sunflower seed oil is a great alternative oil to vegetable oil or canola oil.

Applesauce- we use unsweetened applesauce to both sweeten the bread and as a bit of a substitute from using a ton of oil.

Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan.

Simple Instructions

  1. Prepare the loaf pan. Decide what loaf pan you are going to use (ceramic, glass, or light aluminum) and the line the loaf pan with parchment paper. Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper makes it easier to remove the bread from the pan.
  2. Mix dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking power, baking soda, poppy seeds, salt, and zest into a bowl and mix to evenly distribute the baking soda and baking powder with the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  3. Mix wet ingredients + drizzle oil. You mix the wet ingredients for this bread a bit differently. You start by adding the egg and brown sugar to a bowl and whisk the ingredeints together until combined. Then, you drizzle the oil into the bowl while whisking.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined.

  1. Add dry to wet. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until they are combined and then quickly add the batter to the loaf pan. This is important, you want to get the batter from the bowl, to the loaf pan, to the oven quickly.
  2. Bake the bread. Bake the bread for 15 minutes and then add an aluminum tent to the bread and bake it for another 20-22 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven once baked and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan.
  3. Drizzle the glaze. Mix together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, water, and lemon zest to a bowl and mix. Drizzle the glaze over the bread and enjoy.
A sliced loaf of lemon poppyseed bread on a plate.

FAQ

Should I soak poppy seeds before baking?

You do not have to soak poppy seeds before baking.

How much poppy seeds to you add to a loaf?

We use 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to this recipe.

Do poppy seeds add flavor to bread?

No, poppy seeds do not really have a flavor. Poppy seeds offer texture to recipes rather than flavor.

Is there a good substitute for poppy seeds in poppy seed bread?

If you don’t have poppy seeds you can substitute chia seeds. Just be sure not to let the batter sit for too long.

Storage

To store this lemon poppy seed bread, let it cool completely. Then store it in an air tight bag for up to 3 days on the counter or longer if you store it in the refrigerator.

A piece of lemon poppy seed bread on a plate.
5 from 3 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This lemon poppy seed bread recipe is sweetened with a bit of sugar, applesauce, and turns out light and fluffy!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 9
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Ingredients 

Dry

Wet

  • 1 large egg
  • cup sunflower oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

  • cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Then, line with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, poppy seeds, salt, and lemon zest. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside.
    The dry ingredients for lemon poppy seed bread in a bowl.
  • Next, add the egg to a large bowl and whisk. Add the brown sugar and whisk until combined.
    Adding oil to the wet ingredients.
  • Slowly drizzle the oil into the bowl while whisking.
  • Add the applesauce, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Be sure not to overmix.
  • Transfer the batter into the lined loaf pan.
    Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan.
  • Bake the poppyseed bread for 15 minutes, turn the bread in the oven, cover with a tin foil tent, and bake for an additional 20-22 minutes. Be sure the bread is fully cooked by sticking a toothpick into the center — if it comes out clean, it’s done.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the lemon glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lemon juice, water, and lemon zest into a bowl. Mix until smooth.
  • Remove the bread from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan. Allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack before drizzling the glaze on top of the bread.
  • Slice and serve.
    A sliced loaf of lemon poppyseed bread on a plate.

Tips & Notes

  • We highly recommend using a light colored loaf pan or a silicone loaf pan. Using a darker pan will leave you with darker edges.
  • Get the quick bread in the oven right after pouring in the pan, as baking soda reacts immediately with the acid and won’t rise properly if left to sit out for more than a minute or 2.
  • Do not substitute any sweetener with honey. The honey will sink to the bottom of your bread and leave your bread with a burnt bottom and taste.
  • If you don’t have sunflower oil, you can use coconut oil or vegetable oil.
  • Remember that every oven heats differently. Be sure that you check the temperature of your oven before baking.
  • Please do not substitute any other flour in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 266 kcal, Carbohydrates: 39 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 10 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 6 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Linley Hanson

Linley has played an important role in the success of Fit Foodie Finds over the last 10 years. She is an incredible home cook and has an amazing palate. She is the brain behind our recipes and has spent thousands of hours developing, testing, and perfecting the delicious meals you see here at Fit Foodie Finds.

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Angelina S McCoy
Angelina S McCoy
April 10, 2022 6:35 pm

5 stars
This is super easy and great for spring! I used my toaster oven on convection and didn’t have foil but it still turned out delicious. Used whole milk instead.