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Forget lemon frosting. Have you ever tried lemon bread with a buttery lemon sugar glaze? A hot lemon sugar glaze is poured over still-warm lemon bread in the pan, yielding the most lemon-flavored, moist lemon bread you will ever have!
Top a slice with homemade lemon curd for a lemon lover’s paradise!
Deliciously Warm Lemon Sugar Glaze
Pouring a hot sugar glaze on top of a warm sweet bread is a time-tested method that our moms used to make when we were kids. There was no cream cheese icing slathered on top, no lemon icing; a citrus sugar glaze has always been the fastest way to top a cake or sweet bread.
The sugar glaze by itself is a keeper recipe that you can pour on cakes and other treats, but try this other recipe of mine if you are looking for an icing/confectioner’s sugar-based lemon glaze. This recipe uses white sugar melted into buttery lemon juice, which is a completely different texture than the other glaze that is powdered/icing sugar-based.
Pouring the Glaze
It’s important to note that you want the bread to still be fairly hot when you are pouring the glaze on top, you want the hot bread to just soak up all that sweet and sour lemony goodness. A cold bread won’t soak up the sauce.
You also want to keep the bread IN the loaf pan! I have a few tricks written in the recipe card to make sure that the glaze soaks into the lemon bread and not pool around the edges, it takes a little back and forth work, but oh man, it’s worth it!
More Sweet Quick Bread Recipes
This sweet bread is an excellent treat by itself, but once you have tried it with that lemon sugar glaze, you won’t go back to plain lemon bread again!
Happy baking!
Love,
Karlynn
Mom’s Glazed Lemon Bread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Buttery Hot Lemon Glaze
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Grease and set aside a standard loaf pan.
- Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat together until combined.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding the second egg only after the first has been incorporated.
- Mix in the milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour,baking powder and salt. Add into the wet mixture and beat until just combined. Don't overbeat.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out into an even layer.
- Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
- Remove and place on baking rack in the pan.
Hot Buttery Lemon Glaze
- Combine the ingredients of the glaze in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. Microwave on short intervals on high, stirring between, until the sugar has dissolved into the lemon juice and it's not gritty.
- Pour slowly over top of the still hot lemon bread in the pan. If the glaze pools, tilt the corner of the pan and pour what's remaining on top back into the measuring cup, then pour on top again. Repeat until only a small amount remains around the edges.
- Take a knife and run along the edges of the bread in the pan now to loosen it, and to let the remaining glaze drizzle around and down the sides.
- Let the bread sit in the pan for 20 minutes until cool enough to touch. The glaze will sink into the top of the loaf during this time.
- Run a knife around the edges of the loaf again to completely detach it and tip to remove from the pan. Place the bread onto a baking rack and cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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Amie says
This looks amazing! I will be making this today but I need to double the recipe so I can give one to the neighbor. How would I do that? Sorry, I’m a new baker so I’m not exactly sure how to do that. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes! 🍋
Donna says
Could you bake this in a Bundt pan instead?
Noel says
Don’t see my request on “Standard” pan sizes. Which are we using 9×5 or 8×4 as standard..
Helpful in putting batter into loaf pans.. thank you
RedMtl says
If you check her other recipes, you’ll find the following: “Grease a standard loaf pan ( 9x5x3 inches approximately) and set aside.” However, you are correct. The pan size should be clearly specified. Many people consider the 8×4 pan to be standard.
Noel says
Hi there… What are we calling a “standard” pan.. 9×5 or 8×4.. this has always confused me when baking loaves…
I apreciate the time.. Recipes are awesome..
RedMtl says
If you are in the U. S. A. the accepted standard is 8.5 x 4.5 (roughly), or six cups, or a one pound loaf pan. 9 x 5 is a bit bigger, and creates a volume difference. If you are in Europe, the larger pan is more common. If you are in Canada, it is hit or miss. If you are unsure, go with the American sizing when it is not specified.
Margaret Thomson says
I have made it quite a few times and we love it. Then I decided to do it for Christmas just to be different and it was loved by all Thanks for sharing again Have a great. Mother’s Day.
Christl says
fantastic lemon bread. one small tip — poke holes in loaf with skewer before pouring on the hot glaze
Alex Brunel says
This is a great recipe. It’s pretty forgiving! I substituted Swerve for the sugar in both the bread and the glaze, and brought the carbs down further by subbing 1/2 cup fine almond flour for 1/2 cup of the flour.
I added more lemon juice and zest too first and then, because I’d messed up, I just threw all the wet ingredients and the almond flour together in the stand mixer. I didn’t need to add the eggs separately. I just mixed it on medium until it was nicely blended.
I added the rest of the flour mix as instructed though, by the large spoonful right into the mixer on slow, not mixing too much. It looked a little lumpy but it was fine.
The result was perfect. Probably a little less sweet than it would have been using sugar, but that’s how we like things in our house.
Thanks, Karlynn, nice one,. Thank your mum too if she’s still with us/
Elaine says
Just made this lemon loaf. It was absolutely delicious. Good and lemony!
Elaine says
Just made this this afternoon. It was absolutely delicious. Good and lemony!
Rosa says
Can u plz send me the recipe forthe lemon bread with the lemon glaze? I was reading the post but I can’t get to the recipe and I’d love to try it thank you Rosa
Val says
Can I freeze this lemon loaf ?
Karlynn Johnston says
Absolutely! Wrap it up tightly and it’ll freeze perfectly!
Rosa says
Can u plz send me the recipe forthe lemon bread with the lemon glaze? I was reading the post but I can’t get to the recipe and I’d love to try it thank you Rosa