Lemon Yogurt Bread
Light and extremely moist, this lemon yogurt bread seriously rocks. It is great for mid-morning snacks, after-dinner treats and anywhere in between.
Lemon bread is one of the baked goods my mom made growing up that I loved, devoured, and ate without caution.
I think of my mom every time lemon bread crosses my path. Sad to say, though, it seems that lemon bread has come and gone in popularity. Is it just me or does anyone else feel that way?
It seems like lemon bread used to pop up at nearly any occasion (especially the girlie ones) but at least in my neck of the woods, it has long since been usurped by other baked treats.
When my sister sent me the lemon bread recipe you see here claiming it was even better than mom’s (which is saying a lot) and I would never go back to another lemon bread recipe, I had to take the challenge and make it.
And, um, wow.
There is a reason lemon bread needs to be part of your life. And this is it.
Light and extremely moist, this lemon bread seriously rocks. The bread itself is tender with a lemony fragrance and combined with the killer lemon and sugar glaze, it is crazy delicious.
Whether you want to see lemon bread come back into food fashion or not, this recipe is worth making. We’ve taken to enjoying it for mid-morning snacks, after-dinner treats and anywhere in between.
One Year Ago: Grilled Steak Burgers
Two Years Ago: Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls
Three Years Ago: Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper
Lemon Yogurt Bread
Ingredients
Bread:
- 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (424 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 large lemons
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup (113 g) applesauce
- 1 ½ cups plain yogurt, lowfat or regular
Glaze:
- ⅓ to ½ cup fresh lemon juice, from the lemons that were zested for the bread
- 4 tablespoons sugar, more or less according to how sweet you want it
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2 inch pans with cooking spray (I always use the Baker’s Joy spray with flour in it). You may have a bit of batter leftover to also make 1-2 mini loaves or a few muffins.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest and rub the mixture together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, oil, applesauce and yogurt. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pans about 2/3 full (if you have leftover batter you can make mini loaves or a few muffins) and smooth the top. Bake the bread until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes for a normal sized loaf and anywhere from 16-25 minutes for muffins or mini loaves.
- While the bread is baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and let it come to a boil. Take it off the heat until the bread is finished baking. When the bread is done baking, carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack. Gently pour the warm glaze over the top of the warm bread (if the glaze runs off without soaking in, poke tiny holes with a toothpick over the top of the bread and then pour on the glaze). Let the bread cool completely. Store in an airtight container. It will stay moist for 2-3 days at room temperature.
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Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe my sister, Em, sent, originally adapted from Bon Appetit
159 Comments on “Lemon Yogurt Bread”
I adapted this to make it grain-free, also using egg yolks (no whites) and olive oil. It was, both times I made it, despite all the substitutions, effing amazing. I bake it in a bundt cake, which holds half a recipe (so I put the other half in a loaf pan). I am about to make it a third time, now for my Dad’s birthday. He is the worst person in the world to cook for, and I have always loved cooking, so I can’t stop trying to get his approval. Fingers crossed that this time I’ll succeed. But regardless, I’m excited to eat this again. At least the way I have been making it, it’s best 48 hours after it’s baked.
I was not impressed. It was just ok, was not that flavorful. Perhaps some lemon juice or poppy seeds in the batter would improve flavor. The glaze was quite runny and I used a tooth pick to poke holes in the bread to help it soak into, instead of run off, the bread.
I make this bread several times a year, it’s the best! I always poke holes with a wooden skewer and glaze it straight in the pan after it comes out of the oven. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then turn it out and let it cool completely on a cooling rack. It keeps all of the delicious glaze on the bread, where I want it, and keeps my counter tops clean at the same time.
My husband said it’s the best poundcake I’ve ever made. My only problem was with the glaze it never thickened up until I put in a lot more sugar. I just kept point sugar in and bake and boiling it until at least it became a clear sticky paste and then I poured it over and poked toes and it was still runny so I took my kitchen brush and painted it on the outside and over the top so it wouldn’t run. Maybe I was doing something wrong but I just could not make the glaze proper without a lot more sugar like probably a quarter of a cup.
So good. Very moist! I also frosted it after cooking and suggest bigger holes for glaze to sink into – YUM
Made it for a quick gift and it was wonderful. Will make more.
Amazing recipe. Very moist and great soft texture. I reduced the amount of sugar to 1 cup and it still is great. Pretty sure I’ll try it with oranges instead of lemons next time.
Thank you for your comment. I just realized I only have 1 cup of sugar, so I’ll do what you did!
This lemon bread is AMAZING!!!! It is moist and so delicious!
Is there something that I can substitute for the applesauce?
You can use butter or oil
If I use a bundt pan instead what temperature and time
I haven’t tried that, but I’d suggest the same baking temperature and maybe check right around 35-40 minutes.
Great lemon loaf! I found the lemon flavour in the loaf itself to be quite subtle, so I will be adding more zest next time (I zested 4 lemons which equalled 3 Tbsp). The glaze was definitely the highlight that gave that punch of strong lemon tartness, but was still nice and sweet for a lovely finish. I didn’t have yogurt at home, so I subbed sourdough discard, and it worked wonderfully!
We have a friend that has a wrecker service. He obtained a ton of lemons from a wreck so he brought me a case. I made your bread and gave him a loaf as a thank you. His wife asked for the recipe. This is a big deal because she doesn’t bake. We all loved it. It is moist and tart and sweet, all at the same time. Having applesauce and yogurt in it qualifies it as being partially healthy in my book. This is surely a keeper! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can I use buttermilk in place if the yogurt?
Yes, that is usually a good substitution.
Can you use lemon juice instead of lemon zest? If so how much.?
That would change the structure and texture of the bread, so I’m not sure, but you could try 1-2 tablespoons and see how it goes. The lemon flavor won’t be as pronounced as when using the lemon zest.
I did not have any applesauce, so I substituted peeled and grated zucchini. Turned out great! Wonderful recipe and a good use for the garden vegetable that takes over the summer kitchen.
Delicious-another winner, Mel! So glad it makes 2 loaves – 1 to share & 1 to eat!
Made the Lemon Yogurt Bread last night. Have tried many, many lemon bread recipes. Always the same, not enough lemon. Dry. Well thanks to you. I now have a MOIST, lemon bread that is perfect. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi for the lemon yogurt bread need to know how do you make the Apple sauce.. can this be optional..
Please let me know .. Would love to try this recipe
Regards
Preeti
You can sub in oil for the applesauce.