Let's make a bright and fresh quickbread for spring - a gluten-free lemon poppy seed loaf. Yum!
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About This Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe
Do you love lemon-flavored breads and desserts? I do, but I only just realized it recently.
Thankfully, I'm making an effort to incorporate more lemon-flavored things on the blog, like these gluten-free lemon blueberry scones or these gluten-free lemon & thyme bars. And of course, this gluten-free lemon poppy seed loaf!
This quickbread is super easy to make, and produces a moist (sorry for using that word) spongelike cake with a light lemon flavor thanks to the lemon juice and zest. Combined with the poppy seeds for added color and Greek yogurt for a smooth texture, it produces a wonderful quickbreads.
You could add a glaze to this for added decadence, but I think it's so good as is, you don't really need it!
Ingredients For Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
-Gluten-Free Flour: See below for my top recommendations. Remember, you need a gluten-free blend, not just one gluten-free flour.
-Poppy Seeds: Those tiny little black dots that also work great in bagels are what gives this bread it's signature look when cut open.
-Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both baking soda and powder will help the bread rise, since we don't have any gluten.
-Salt: For balance. I use regular salt when baking, not Kosher salt.
-Sugar: For sweetness, we are using white granulated sugar in this recipe.
-Eggs: Eggs will help add moisture while also thickening the batter.
-Melted Coconut Oil or Vegetable Oil: Oil will serve as our fat content in the recipe.
-Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: A wonderful way to add moisture to gluten-free baked goods. You can use either one as they have similar thickness and taste.
-Milk of choice: I use regular milk, but you could use almond, oat, soy, or whatever you prefer.
-Lemon zest & juice: This is where we get that burst of bright lemon flavor.
Gluten-Free Flours Blends For Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
I've tested this gluten-free lemon poppy seed loaf recipe with two gluten-free flour blends, Cup4Cup and King Arthur's Measure For Measure. In the photo below, you can see the difference between the two.
No changes were made except using a different gluten-free flour blend. The Cup4Cup loaf had a softer, more spongelike texture, where as the King Arthur Flour was a lot more crumbly. Both tasted great, but Cup4Cup is always my preferred flour for baking gluten-free.
Cup4Cup Flour For Gluten-Free Baking
Gluten-Free Flour: I use Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. It is my #1 choice for cookies, pastries, and yeast-based baked goods. Cup4Cup has given me great success in the kitchen over the last eight years, helping me to create delicious croissants, empanadas, naan, chocolate chip cookies, pierogi, bagels, and more.
Please note if you use a different gluten-free flour your results may vary. Based on my own experience, I believe this recipe would also work well with GF Jules or King Arthur Measure For Measure.
Can I Make This Recipe With Almond or Coconut Flour?
I do not recommend substituting a single gluten-free flour, like almond flour or coconut flour, for my recipes. My recipes use a gluten-free flour blend, a mixture of different gluten-free grains, starches, and thickeners, to substitute for all purpose flour. Using just one of them, like almond or coconut, will not give you the same results, and will probably lead to a lot of frustration in the kitchen. For most of my recipes, you'll need a blend, like Cup4Cup, King Arthur Measure For Measure, Bob's Red Mill, or GF Jules, to name a few.
For more my top tips on gluten-free baking with success, check out this post!
How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
The process to make the gluten-free lemon poppy seed bread is really so easy. You combine the dry ingredients, including the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt with a whisk.
Then in another bowl, you combine the wet ingredients of the eggs, oil, Greek yogurt, milk, and lemon juice/zest with a whisk.
Finally, you add the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient mixture until everything is combined. Allow the batter to rest for 10-15 minutes, pour into your loaf pan, and bake!
Can I Make This Dairy-Free?
Yes, but I haven't tried it. Due to the nature of this bread using Greek yogurt/sour cream, you could substitute a dairy-free yogurt/sour cream and dairy-free milk if you like, and would need to make sure your gluten-free flour blend is dairy-free too (Cup4Cup contains milk powder). Please note if you use a nut-based milk, it could change the color of the batter and make it look much more dull, and not as bright (This happened when I used certified GF oat milk in a batch during testing).
Tips For Success When Baking Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Let the batter rest. I prefer to let batters like quickbreads and muffins rest for 15 minutes or so before baking. This is a tip from America's Test Kitchen prevents a gritty texture in the final product. Check out all my top gluten-free baking tips right here in this post!
What if it cracks? Don't worry about it! It just means the bread baked properly. You can always add a glaze on top like this one if you'd like to cover it up.
How To Serve Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This gluten-free lemon poppy seed loaf goes perfectly for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee. You can add a dab or butter or jam to it for extra decadence, but I really don't think it needs it.
This gluten-free lemon loaf would also make a lovely addition to a weekend brunch. Or you can bring it to a summer barbecue for dessert with some glaze on top!
How To Store Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Whichever way you choose to enjoy this bread, just make sure to do so within 2-3 days, because like all gluten-free baked goods, it hardens quickly. Keep it tightly wrapped & covered with foil at room temperature.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
Feel like another easy quickbread? This banana bread with walnuts hits the spot.
Looking for scones recipes? Bake a savory version with bacon, cheddar, and chives, or try these pumpkin scones with maple icing.
Want to practice your pie making skills? Check out this gluten-free peach pie with lattice design.
Ready to take your baking skills to the next level? Try these delightful, buttery, and flaky gluten-free croissants.
Discover all the gluten-free baking recipes on the blog right here.
Here's the full recipe for gluten-free lemon poppy seed loaf!
If you love this recipe, please leave a review! Thank you so much!
Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe
Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Recipe Adapted From Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend, like Cup4Cup
- 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream or Greek Yogurt, room temperature (use dairy-free if needed)
- ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, or melted and cooled coconut oil
- ⅔ cup of milk (use lactose-free or dairy-free if needed), at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 small lemon)
Instructions
Remove your eggs, milk, and sour cream/yogurt from the refrigerator to rest at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x5'' loaf pan with oil, spray, or butter.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until well combined. Then add the vegetable oil, sour cream/Greek yogurt, milk, lemon juice, and zest.
Once the wet ingredients are combined, add them into the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour mixture) and stir to combine, making sure everything is well incorporated. Don't worry about overmixing - there's no gluten developing here.
Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let the bread cool on a wire rack while still in the pan (it keeps cooking!). Slice and serve when cooled.
Notes
Gluten-Free Flour: Please note this recipe was specifically formulated using two gluten-free flour blends, Cup4Cup and King Arthur Measure For Measure. If you use a different blend, your results may vary.
Dairy-Free: To make this bread dairy-free, substitute your favorite dairy-free & gluten-free flour blend, dairy-free milk, and dairy-free yogurt/sour cream. Please note that plant-based milks may results in a darker batter.
Glaze: I don't add glaze to this lemon loaf, but you can. Here's a recipe for that.
Storage: Keep the bread tightly covered at room temperature for 2-3 days to retain moisture. It will harden over time, like most gluten-free baked goods.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 349Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 55mgSodium 294mgCarbohydrates 46gFiber 1gSugar 21gProtein 8g
The nutrition information on each recipe card is provided as a courtesy and for your convenience. The data is calculated by Nutritionix. You are encouraged to make your own calculations based on your ingredients and preferred nutritional facts calculator. While I try to make sure they are accurate, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these calculations.
Do you like quickbreads?
What's your favorite kind?
Tell me in the comments below!
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