Lemon Bread
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.
Are you ready for the best lemon bread ever?
Ok good because I am so excited to share this recipe with you! Lemon bread is so delicious this time of year, and Starbuck’s Lemon Bread has helped it become a “popular” treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Spring = lemon. Lemon = Spring. Am I right or am I right?
I’m not going to claim that this lemon bread recipe is like Starbuck’s, although their lemon bread is seriously amazing. I truthfully only devoured it a few times so I couldn’t compare my recipe to their recipe. All I know is that it’s veeerrry popular there so I wanted to make my own bread to enjoy with coffee.
I just love it when bread puffs up and gets all golden on the top. It’s beautiful, beautiful thing.
A little secret to a getting a moist bread. Well a few secrets. Number one – use enough butter and wet ingredients in your recipe. In this case, I used whole milk and sour cream. Yum and Yum. Second secret is to cover the bread in the loaf pan after it cools slightly with plastic wrap.
Make sure it’s just warm otherwise the plastic wrap will melt…don’t ask how I know that.
Anyway, covering it while it’s still warm keeps the steam in and helps moisten the bread. I actually let it sit overnight. It works like a charm.
Then cover it in a delicious lemon vanilla glaaaaaaze, baby. See the specks of vanilla beans in there? I use Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. It’s the best stuff EVER.
Make sure your glaze is thick enough so that it doesn’t run too much. You want a thick layer on top. One way to achieve this is to not put too much liquid in the glaze. If for some reason it’s too runny, let the glaze sit out for awhile until it thickens up.
Then slice and enjoy. With coffee and after dinner for dessert.
Save this recipe on Pinterest by pinning the image below!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Zest from two lemons
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (plain Greek yogurt would work too)
- Icing
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 teaspoons water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two bread pans by spraying with non-stick spray, lightly dusting with flour, and placing a peace of parchment paper on the bottom on each pan.
- In a medium bowl measure out the dry ingredients; flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix; set aside.
- Using a stand-alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (can use hand held as well), add sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to massage the zest into the sugar. Next add butter and cream until fluffy; scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Next add eggs one at a time and mix, scraping down sides of bowl again. Finally add sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon extract and mix. Mixture will look lumpy.
- Next, alternate adding the bowl of dry ingredients and milk in three addition, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Pour into pans and baking for 50-60 minutes. Mine baked for 53 minutes.
- Let cool until just warm then wrap in plastic wrap to cool completely.
- To make icing, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. The icing should be thick, not runny. Drizzle over lemon loafs.
If I wanted to make just one loaf, is the obvious tweak to just halve this recipe? I have one bread pan and this sounds so tasty.
Hi Amber! Yes, just half the recipe to make one loaf. Enjoy!
Where can I buy the Vanilla bean paste
????
Hi Lori! You can find it on amazon and williams-sonoma sells it too!
I love lemon and this bread looks amazing!
So Delicioussssssssss Looking. I love lemon cake
Yum! I love how warm and sunny this looks. I could use a slice this morning!
Thanks Marye! It’s great for breakfast!
stunning, light and so yummy! Im so in for a (large) nibble!
Thank you!
Gorgeous lemon bread, Jessica! I can see those vanilla beans. Wow. Love the recipe makes two loaves…one to eat, one to share.
Thanks Allie! Yes, I love that it makes two as well! Might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?
Yum – thanks so much and have a great day!
Thanks Liz! Hope your day is going well!
This sounds yummy! I have a “Starbuck’s Clone” recipe that I use in my bread machine on the cake setting. I will have to try this one in the bread machine but cut the recipe in half, as it makes two loaves. 🙂
Thanks Cathy! Yum! I would love the recipe if you’re willing to share. Let me know if it works out!
Hi Jessica, Below is a link to the recipe I use, although I modify it a bit. I use melted butter instead of oil and that I always use fresh lemon juice vs. bottled. Also, I use a Zoojirushi Virtuoso for my bread machine baking so the end result is a normal shaped loaf vs. the vertical loaf on many other bread machines. 🙂
http://starrplanet.com/reviews/?p=151
Thanks Cathy!