Lemon Pecan Bread

Full of lemon swirling through with a crunch from toasted pecans tucked inside and a delicate coating of sugar crystals sprinkled across the top. This luscious loaf is a delicious way to savor the flavors of spring and summer all year long!

It’s hard to find anyone who isn’t experiencing a touch of spring fever. The weather is scattering warmer days into the forecast making us yearn for light, bright flavors. Digging through Mom’s recipes I ran across several she had for lemon bread. With a tweak or two I ended up with a wonderful quick bread delivering layers of lemon.

This starts as a traditional quick bread – butter, sugar and whole eggs blended with flour, baking powder and a touch of kosher salt plus a touch of milk.

Lemon comes in triplicate using both the zest and juice of fresh lemons plus a splash of pure lemon extract. Add pure vanilla extract to bring the flavors together and a big handful of toasted pecans for bite of nuttiness.

Not overly sweet, it’s a delectable bread that’s perfect for brunch, an afternoon snack or paired with a salad.

Though it might be a bit early to plant your garden, this light fresh lemon bread will brighten your day and help with that spring fever!

Lemon Pecan Bread

½ cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over the top

2 extra-large eggs, room temperature

1-½ cups flour

1-¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup milk

Zest from 6 lemons, about 1-⅓ tablespoons

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ cup chopped toasted pecans

Before you start, grease a large loaf pan (9” x 5” x 3”) and line it with a sheet of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

Using medium speed beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until it is creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until it’s light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium speed, mixing well after adding each.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and the kosher salt.

Blend the flour and milk into the batter on low speed, adding about ¼ of the flour mixture at a time followed by milk, beginning and ending with the flour.

On low speed, stir in the vanilla and lemon extracts along with the lemon juice and lemon zest, and the chopped pecans.

Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with extra sugar, using about ½ to ¾ teaspoon to lightly cover.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes or until the loaf is lightly golden and tests done in the center. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then loosen the edges with a sharp knife and gently lift the bread from the pan. Finish cooling completely on a wire rack.

Makes one 9” x 5” loaf.

One tip when you’re adding any citrus extract or oil to a dish always balance it with fresh zest and juice, or both. Otherwise, the extract can come off tasting more like perfume than citrus!