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    Home » Whole Food Recipes » Homemade Breads » Sourdough

    July 10, 2020 | By Jami

    Easy Glazed Sourdough Lemon Bread Recipe

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    simple glazed sourdough lemon loaf
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    easy glazed sourdough lemon bread
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    Welcome to one of my absolute favorite ways to use up sourdough discard - sourdough lemon bread with a thick and lemony glaze. Using lemon juice, zest, and lemon oil, this recipe amps up the lemon flavor while keeping everything moist and tender. Works for dessert, snack, or breakfast!

    Easy glazed sourdough lemon bread

    One of the things you find out fast after growing and maintaining a sourdough starter is that you need a LOT of different ways to use up the extra starter you have when you do your daily feeds (it's called the "discard" though we aren't throwing it out!) .

    A family can only have so much bread, after all. (Of course the best solution is to bake with it once a week and then put it in the fridge to slow the growth, but even then you'll have at least one discard while waking it back up fully.)

    Plus there are times when you can't deal with the extra right away, so you just put it in a container and place it in the fridge until you do.

    Since this wouldn't be considered a 'fed' starter by the time you use it, you won't want to use it for raising bread, but it's great to use in things like crackers, waffles, sticky bun coffee cake - and now this totally delicious lemon bread.

    sourdough lemon loaf pieces

    When using sourdough starter in recipes like this, you don't get the "full" gut healthy benefits since we're just using one cup and there isn't any ferment time. But you do get some of that sourdough goodness as well as a bit of the flavor.

    Honestly, though, the main benefit for me is to not waste the precious sourdough starter. And experimenting with different ways to use the starter is fun, too.

    Um, why is your lemon bread not yellow?

    Yeah, you may have noticed that this bread looks whole-wheatish instead of typical yellow tinged lemon loaves. That's because my sourdough starter is made and maintained with whole wheat flour. So the bread has a cup of whole wheat flour along with the unbleached flour I used.

    TIP: To keep your starter at its healthiest, always stick with feeding the flour you initially grew it with. If you want to try a different flour, start a whole new starter.

    Also, those really yellow lemon breads and cakes? They have food coloring added. There's no lemon juice in the world that will turn flour bright yellow like I've seen, even if it is bleached white flour.

    Color aside, if you are in the mood for a moist and lemony sweet bread with just a hint of sourdough, you've come to the right place! A piece of this bread with afternoon tea = heaven.

    Glazed Sourdough Lemon Bread

    sourdough lemon loaf ingredients

    Ingredients

    Sweet breads are typically mix-pour-bake recipes and this easy lemon loaf is no exception. You'll need just a handful of basic ingredients - and one sort of special ingredient that is optional:

    • Sourdough starter
    • Milk
    • Flour (unbleached all purpose, whole wheat pastry flour also works)
    • Baking powder and salt
    • Eggs
    • Oil (this is my favorite neutral oil to use in baking)
    • Cane sugar
    • Powdered sugar
    • Large lemon
    • Optional: pure lemon oil for cooking (I use Boyajian, an undiluted pure oil made from lemon rinds - you can get it on Amazon here or at King Arthur Flour here.)

    What is lemon oil - is it the same as lemon extract?

    Lemon oil is produced from the rinds of lemons and when it's not diluted with other oils (some do, so read the labels), it's got a very intense lemon flavor which really comes through in baking. (Note: You'll want to make sure if a product is labeled 'essential oil' that it's for cooking and not just to use for home products.)

    Lemon extract is made by mixing the rind oil with alcohol, like other extracts. It's fine to use here if that's what you have, but the flavor won't be as intense, which is always what I'm going for in lemon recipes.

    sourdough lemon loaf batter in pan

    Directions

    For this recipe you'll take three basic steps to make the batter:

    1. Mix the oil together with the eggs, sugar and lemon zest, juice and oil if using.
    2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.
    3. Stir together the sourdough starter and milk in a third bowl or measuring cup.

    Then you combine these together alternately to create a bit of lightness to the batter before pouring into a buttered loaf pan and baking for about an hour.

    glazed sourdough lemon loaf on rack

    You can leave the loaf as is, but a glaze makes it a lot more like that Starbucks lemon loaf everybody loves. Personally, I wouldn't ever leave off the glaze, lol.

    The glaze is simply powdered sugar and lemon juice, but the ratio of juice to sugar is a bit lower to create a thicker glaze. You can also add some softened butter if you'd like more of a frosting-like glaze, but I was going for that classic lemon glaze so kept it simple.

    sliced sourdough lemon loaf above

    How to Store Lemon Bread

    If you have leftover slices of lemon bread, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge for three to four days.

    My favorite way to store slices of the bread is to freeze them. When they are thawed it's almost like fresh bread again!

    Since the bread is so moist, you will need to place a piece of wax paper in between each piece, which will make it easier to remove just a piece or two at a time. Take it from me - it's not fun trying to pry them apart with a knife, ha!

    Love lemon? Then check out these other lemony recipes:

    • Zucchini Lemon Bread
    • Lemon Glazed Cupcakes
    • Honey Sweetened Lemon Flaxseed Muffins
    • Lemon Berry Cake with BEST Lemon Frosting
    sourdough lemon loaf pieces
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.81 from 26 votes

    Glazed Sourdough Lemon Bread

    A great way use up sourdough discard, this lemon bread recipe has lemon juice, zest, and lemon oil to amp up the lemon flavor and then tops it all with a thick lemon glaze.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: Breads
    Cuisine: American
    Yield: 12 slices
    Author: Jami Boys

    Equipment

    • 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan

    Ingredients

    For Lemon Bread:

    • 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil sunflower, avacodo, or refined coconut*
    • 2/3 cup cane sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 large lemon zested and juiced (about 2 tablespoons, divided)
    • 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil optional
    • 1 ½ cups unbleached flour or whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup sourdough starter fed or unfed
    • 1/3 cup milk lukewarm

    For Glaze:

    • 1 to 1⅓ cups powdered sugar depending on the consistency you'd like
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (remaining tablespoon)

    Instructions

    Lemon Bread:

    • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan well.
    • Mix oil, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and oil (if using) in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
    • In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
    • In a third bowl or 2-cup measure, combine the starter and warmed milk.
    • Add the flour and starter mixtures to the sugar-oil mixture alternately, starting with the flour: 1/3 flour, 1/2 starter, 1/3 flour, 1/2 starter, remaining flour. Scrape as needed, mixing just until combined.
    • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
    • Cool for 10 minutes in pan (TIP: make the glaze while it's cooling in the pan). Place a piece of wax paper under a metal cooling rack and remove the loaf from the pan onto the rack to cool completely.

    Glaze:

    • Mix up the glaze ingredients to the desired consistency in a small bowl.
    • Spread the glaze with a spatula over the still warm loaf, letting some drip over the edges.
    • Cool completely before cutting into slices.

    Notes

    *You may be able to use melted butter as well, though I haven't tested the recipe with butter.
    To Store:
    • Keep in airtight container for a couple days at room temperature or in the fridge.
    • Freeze for longer storage, adding wax paper between slices to be able to remove a few slices at a time to thaw.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!
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    sourdough discard glazed lemon bread

    More Sourdough Discard Recipes

    serving sticky bun sourdough coffee cake
    Easy Sticky Bun Sourdough Coffee Cake
    A moist and tender cake with a caramel pecan topping that's a great way to use up sourdough discard. It's good for breakfast, snacks, and even dessert!
    Click For Recipe
    Fluffy Sourdough Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream
    Amazing Sourdough Waffles Recipe
    Light and fluffy whole grain sourdough waffles are easy to make and blow away regular waffles with their flavor. It's a great way to use up your starter, too.
    Click For Recipe
    holding whole wheat sourdough crackers
    Sourdough Whole Wheat Crackers
    A surprisingly easy recipe for sourdough whole wheat crackers - mix, roll out and bake in less than an hour. And so good you won't believe it!
    Click For Recipe

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    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

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    Hi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to help you live a simple homemade life on your terms: cooking delicious real food, painless gardening, and making easy things that are totally worth your time. 

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