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    Home » Sourdough Bread Recipes

    Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread!

    Published: Apr 13, 2020 · Modified: Jul 4, 2024

    Sourdough lemon poppyseed bread recipe cover photo
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    Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread! My sourdough lemon poppy seed bread recipe is so perfectly buttery and soft with a melt in your mouth texture. Lemon poppy seed bread recipe is made with sourdough discard and tastes just like Starbucks!

    My husband is obsessed with Starbucks lemon poppy seed bread but I wasn't a huge fan of how much sugar is in it. Plus, I'm always up for the challenge of making it better at home.

    I recently made a brand new sourdough starter, so I was looking for ways to use up my sourdough discard.. because I can't stand to throw all that high quality flour down the drain! I decided to bake my sourdough discard into lemon poppy seed bread and... yum!!

    SOURDOUGH LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD INGREDIENTS

    This lemon poppyseed sourdough bread recipe is so easy to make! No special skills required and since it is a quick bread recipe, it is a super beginner sourdough recipe as there's no kneading or anything like that required!

    All you need is a discard from your sourdough starter and a few easy to find ingredients, chances are you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry!

    • Flour
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Sea salt
    • Sugar
    • Avocado oil
    • Eggs
    • Lemons
    • Sourdough discard
    • Milk of choice
    • Poppy seeds

    SOURDOUGH DISCARD VS ACTIVE SOURDOUGH STARTER

    If you're new to sourdough you might be seeing terms like: sourdough discard, sourdough starter, active sourdough starter and be confused.. I know I was! Here's my simple breakdown of the differences:

    • Sourdough discard: it is the inactive sourdough, what you throw away before you feed it (used in crackers, quick breads, pancakes, and naan).
    • Sourdough starter: basically the same thing as a sourdough starter.. is not fed/ active/ bubbly.
    • Active sourdough starter: it is the bubbly active starter that has been sitting at room temperature, about 6-8 hours after feeding (used in overnight sourdough bread, long fermented bread, focaccia, pizza, and more).

    HOW TO MAKE LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD HEALTHY

    I already reduced the flour and sugar in my sourdough discard lemon poppy seed bread along with using avocado oil. But, if you want to make your lemon poppy seed bread even healthier, here's the substitutions you can make!

    • In place of flour, use white wheat flour or 1:1 gluten free flour (less refined than all-purpose)
    • In place of sugar, use honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit sweetener.

    The rest of the ingredients are healthy already! Avocado oil is filled with healthy fats from avocados. The eggs add protein and choline, which is essential for brain health. The lemons add some vitamin C. And the milk adds protein, calcium, vitamin D and healthy fats! Make sure you're choosing unsweetened unflavored milk though!

    How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Sourdough Discard!

    This is a great quick bread recipe to use up your sourdough discard! And it freezes well, so you can make one each day when you get rid of your sourdough discard and freeze them for breakfast and snacks later!

    Let's get started! This lemon poppy seed bread is so easy to make with your sourdough discard and tastes just like Starbucks lemon loaf!

    Make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack in the center position of your oven.

    STEP 1- Sift dry ingredients

    In a medium sized bowl, add the dry ingredients:

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¾ cup sugar

    Sift well to combine and set aside.

    dry ingredients mixed
    wet ingredients mixed
    wet mixed into dry ingredients with poppy seeds

    STEP 2- Mix wet ingredients and final batter

    In the another bowl, add the wet ingredients:

    • ½ cup avocado oil
    • 2 eggs or 2 flax eggs for vegans
    • The juice and zest of 2 lemons
    • ½ cup sourdough discard
    • ¾ cup milk of choice

    Whisk the wet ingredients well to combine and add to the dry ingredients. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix your batter or your lemon poppyseed sourdough bread will be gummy and dense instead of light and fluffy!

    Fold in the 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds.

    STEP 3- Bake and cool!

    Line a loaf pan with crinkled up parchment paper. I like to wrinkle my parchment paper because this helps it stay in place so well!

    Spread your batter into the loaf pan.

    Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before topping with the optional glaze.

    Enjoy!

    Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe before baking
    Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe after baking
    Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe with glaze

    FAQ'S

    Frequently asked questions about my sourdough discard lemon poppy seed bread recipe.

    How do I make sourdough lemon poppy seed bread vegan?

    Simply follow the video in my recipe card below! At the time I was filming the video for this recipe, I actually had ran out of eggs. So I mixed together 2 flax eggs, which is 2 tablespoons of ground flax plus 6 tablespoons of water. All other ingredients are already vegan!

    Do you have to soak poppy seeds before baking?

    No you do not have to soak poppy seeds before baking them into this sourdough lemon poppy seed bread!

    How do you make sourdough bread more flavorful?

    For the most delicious flavor, you can start to use your discard in as little as 3 days after mixing. Your sourdough discard will give your lemon poppy seed bread a very subtle yet distinct sour flavor.

    Is eating sourdough discard healthy?

    While sourdough discard is nutritious, quick breads made with sourdough discard are generally not as nutritious as making a true sourdough bread, which have many health benefits like: Lowering blood sugar spike. Keeping you fuller for longer.

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    Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe

    If you try my Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!

    Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppy Seed Bread!

    This is the most delicious melt in your mouth lemon poppy seed quick bread made with sourdough discard! My sourdough discard lemon poppy seed bread recipe is perfect for sourdough beginners as it is so easy to make!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Breakfast, Coffee, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 people
    Calories 207 kcal

    Equipment

    • bread loaf pan
    • Parchment paper
    • 2 medium sized mixing bowls

    Ingredients
      

    For the bread:

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour healthy sub: sorghum flour, white wheat flour, 1:1 gluten free flour
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon pink sea salt
    • ¾ cup raw cane sugar healthy sub: monk fruit, honey, maple syrup
    • ½ cup avocado oil (unrefined)
    • 2 lg eggs vegan sub 2 flax egg (2 tablespoon ground flax + 6 tablespoon water)
    • Juice & Zest of 2 lemons
    • ½ cup sourdough discard
    • ¾ cup milk of choice
    • 2 teaspoon poppy seeds

    For the lemon glaze (optional):

    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • milk of choice to consistency you like

    Instructions
     

    For the bread:

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a bread loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
      In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
      1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free), ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon pink sea salt, ¾ cup raw cane sugar
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (not the poppy seeds yet!)
      ½ cup avocado oil (unrefined), 2 lg eggs, Juice & Zest of 2 lemons, ½ cup sourdough discard, ¾ cup milk of choice
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the poppy seeds. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients until just combined.
      2 teaspoon poppy seeds
    • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    • Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack before adding the glaze.

    For the lemon glaze (optional):

    • Mix the powdered together with the lemon juice until smooth and there are no lumps. For a thinner consistency, add more lemon juice.
      Pour the glaze over the loaf.
      Enjoy!
      ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, milk of choice to consistency you like

    Video

    Notes

    Vegan Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: use 1 flax egg in place of 1 egg. To make flax eggs, simply whisk together 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 6 tablespoons water. Let thicken for about 10 minutes before adding to your batter.
    Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: this is already a dairy free bread recipe
    Healthier Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: use white wheat flour, whole wheat, or gluten free flour in place of all-purpose; reduce sugar or use maple syrup or honey in place of raw cane sugar; omit the glaze
     
     
    Nutrition facts for any recipe on thehintofrosemary are only an estimate.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 3.7gFat: 6.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.7gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 0.6gSugar: 15gCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.43mg
    Keyword 1bowlsourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, beginnersourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, easysourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, healthysourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, lemonpoppyseedbread, onebowlsourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, quickbread, quicksourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, sourdoughbreadrecipe, sourdoughdiscardlemonpoppyseedbread, sourdoughdiscardlemonpoppyseedbreadrecipe, sourdoughdiscardlemonrecipes, sourdoughlemonpoppyseedbread, sourdoughlemonpoppyseedbreadrecipe, sourdoughquickbreadrecipes
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 8 votes (3 ratings without comment)

      Leave me a comment!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Anne

      February 01, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      This sourdough bread was so easy to make!! I never thought of using sourdough in quick breads before

    2. Sam

      February 01, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      Light fluffy and sooo delicious ! Thank you!

    3. Sara

      March 15, 2024 at 3:20 am

      Can this recipe be made with overnight ferment for better gut health?

    4. Rosemary

      March 17, 2024 at 6:00 pm

      Yes absolutely, pop it in the fridge overnight!! I'd let it sit the next day out of the fridge an hour before baking! Hope this helps!

    5. Grace

      July 14, 2024 at 3:34 am

      5 stars
      I make this a lot for parties and everyone loves it! Eats more like cake than bread, delicious!

    6. Kaitlin Schaap

      September 06, 2024 at 6:51 pm

      I made a double batch of this a couple of days ago and they turned out beautiful. Light fluffy and lemony. Tried yesterday, same ingredients, same kitchen, same oven and it was dense and gummy. Trying again today and so far in the oven it’s looking like yesterday. Any tips?

    7. Rosemary

      October 05, 2024 at 5:18 pm

      Interesting! Maybe different humidity/ kitchen temperature?

    8. Susie

      October 17, 2024 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      What a fantastic way to use up sour dough discard! Wowsers… really, yummy! You’ll have a lot of people wanting you to make this one again and again.

    9. Rosemary

      November 14, 2024 at 2:34 pm

      I'm so happy you loved it!! 🙂

    10. Lianna

      March 03, 2025 at 3:39 am

      Could I use coconut oil instead of avocado oil?

    11. Rosemary

      March 03, 2025 at 4:30 pm

      Yes definitely! (Just make sure eggs are at room temperature so it doesn't harden up next to cold eggs)

    12. Anna

      March 18, 2025 at 1:36 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious. Turned out moist, fluffy, tangy, lemon-y, and had a nice thick texture. Looked exactly like the picture. I used 1/2 cup of sugar and it was plenty. Will make again! Perfect springtime loaf that everyone enjoys!

    13. Rosemary

      March 18, 2025 at 8:09 pm

      Awe I'm so happy you loved it! Lemon poppy seed bread really is the best in the spring

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    Rosemary Squires registered dietitian of the hint of rosemary blog

    Hi, I'm Rosemary, a registered dietitian and proud mom to a lively toddler. Back in 2015, I launched Hint of Rosemary to share my genuine passion for delicious and enjoyable healthy eating.

    In our home, I celebrate the delightful fusion of American and Jordanian cuisines, drawing inspiration from the rich tapestry of Arabic cuisine, and striving to create a harmonious blend of cultures. My hope is that you'll find inspiration here and, above all, savor every bite.

    More about me →

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