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!!
If you are new to sourdough and have not made a sourdough starter, I have a super easy to follow recipe here on how to make a sourdough starter from scratch!
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.
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!
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.
Looking for more sourdough recipes? Try these!
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter for Beginners
- Vegan Banana Bread with Sourdough Discard
- Sourdough Discard Banana Walnut Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins with Sourdough Discard
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Rainbow Bagels
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!
Equipment
- bread loaf pan
- Parchment paper
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
Anne
This sourdough bread was so easy to make!! I never thought of using sourdough in quick breads before
Sam
Light fluffy and sooo delicious ! Thank you!