Lemon is one of those flavors that is essential to summertime. It is equally delicious whether it is found in a cold glass of lemonade, some lemon curd spread on toast, or this Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. This versatile recipe has become a new favorite of mine. It allows me to satisfy my craving for Lemon Poppy Seed in a relatively healthy way. This recipe contains 1/2-1/3 of the sweetener most recipes call for (and, most of the sugar is in the form of either honey or maple syrup). It is tart, sweet, moist, dense, with a hint of crunch from the poppy seeds. And, when it is long-fermented, it is gut-healthy.
Long-Fermenting the Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Dough
In a non-metallic bowl, combine the following ingredients:
- 2 cups of Flour
- 1/2 cup each of:
- Water, Honey, and Sourdough Starter
A Danish Dough Whisk works amazingly well for mixing thick doughs like this one.
- Cover with a wet, wrung-out dish towel and put it in a warm place in your house.
- Allow it to ferment for 4-8 hours. This time is flexible based on the strength of your starter, how “sour” you like your flavor, and how much time you have. If you can see bubbles forming in the dough when you look through the bottom of the bowl, then a good amount of fermentation has happened.
After Fermenting the Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Dough:
Add:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 stick of softened or melted Butter
- 1/2 cup each of:
- Sugar
- Milk
- 1 teaspoon each of:
- Salt (make it 1 1/2 if you are using unsalted butter)
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Zest (can substitute an extra 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice if you do not have a whole lemon, but it definitely tastes better with it!)
- 3 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds
Mix it well (I still use my Danish Dough Whisk for this).
Baking Your Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread and Cake
There are a number of ways to divide up the dough for baking, depending on whether you want all bread, all cake, or a little of both.
- All Bread: Put the dough into 2 loaf pans.
- I prefer the Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf Pan – it really does make it easy to bake the perfect loaf of bread. I do not use Aluminum pans because I try to avoid Aluminum leaching into the food whenever possible. And, glass pans will often cause the bread to bake unevenly and burn a little on one end.
- All Cake: Put all of the batter into either a 9″ x 13″ Glass Baking Dish or a Pampered Chef Rectangle Baking Dish.
- Half Cake and Half Bread: (This is my personal favorite, because I get to enjoy this recipe both ways.) Put half the dough into a bread pan, and the other half into a 9″ Glass Pie Dish.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and the edges are started to pull away from the pan.
During Baking, Go Ahead and Make the Glaze
- 1/2 stick of softened Butter
- 2 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons of Honey (you can use all Honey if you do not have Maple Syrup)
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
As you can see from the photo below it will be a little thick and almost “curdled” looking. That is okay, it is just the effect of mixing the acidic lemon juice with butter.
When the Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread or Cake Comes Out of the Oven
- Poke a few random holes throughout them with either a cake tester or even a knife.
- Then, while they are still hot, spread the glaze on evenly and let it melt in.
- Let it cool a little, and then slice and enjoy!
I love to slather on some extra butter before eating it, and have it with a cup of tea. It will practically melt in your mouth.
And, while this may be a bit of a “guilty pleasure” treat, bit is relatively healthy compared to most desserts. It has very little processed sugar in it, and the grains have all been fermented for better gut health.
Sourdough Discard or Quick-Bread Version:
If you are not as concerned with having a fully-fermented bread, or you simply do not have the time to long-ferment, then you can do a Sourdough Discard version of this Lemon Poppy Seed recipe.
Simply combine all of the ingredients together from the beginning, and bake it immediately.
Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Recipe for Bread and Cake
Lemon is one of those flavors that is essential to summertime. It is equally delicious whether it is found in a cold glass of lemonade, some lemon curd spread on toast, or this Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. This versatile recipe has become a new favorite of mine. It allows me to satisfy my craving for Lemon Poppy Seed in a relatively healthy way. It is tart, sweet, moist, dense, with a hint of crunch from the poppy seeds. And, when it is long-fermented, it is gut-healthy.
Ingredients
- Dough for Fermenting:
- - 2 cups of Flour
- - 1/2 cup Water
- - 1/2 cup of Honey
- - 1/2 cup of Sourdough Starter
- Add:
- - 1/2 cup Milk
- - 2 Eggs
- - 1/2 cup of Sugar
- - 1/2 stick of softened or melted Butter
- - 1 teaspoon of Salt (Make it 1 1/2 if you are using unsalted butter.)
- - 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
- - 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
- - 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- - 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Zest (If you do not have a whole lemon, then you can just add an extra 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice. But, the Zest is delicious if you have it.)
- - 3 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds
- Glaze:
- - 1/2 stick of softened butter
- - 2 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
- - 2 Tablespoons of Honey (you can use all honey if you do not have maple syrup)
- - 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl (a Danish Dough Whisk is great for this).
- Cover with a wet, wrung-out dish towel and set it in a warm place in your house. Let it ferment for 4-8 hours (at least until you can see bubbles forming in the dough when you look at the bottom of the bowl).
- After fermenting, add the next 10 ingredients and combine.
- Pour the dough into the pans: Any of these options will work: 1. 2 bread pans. 2. A 9x13 Baking Dish. 3. 1 bread pan and 1 Pie Plate
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- While it is baking, mix the glaze.
- When the bread or cake comes out, poke several holes throughout with either a cake tester or a knife. Then, while still warm, spread the glaze on and let it melt in.
- Let it cool slightly before serving.
- Slather with some extra butter and enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea!
Notes
If you do not have the time for a long-ferment, then you can make a Quick-Bread or Sourdough Discard version of this by simply eliminating the fermenting time.
Other Sourdough Recipes from Our Blog
Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake
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Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf Pan