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 spring fever. The weather is still scattering cooler, cloudy days into the forecast, causing us to yearn for light, bright days along with flavors to match. 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.
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! We keep a zester on hand for capturing the best of citrus as well as grating nutmeg. https://go.shopmy.us/p-21835898
This medium scoop is perfect for scooping out batter of all kinds, including quick breads, cookie dough, muffins, pancakes and waffles. Medium: 2″ diam., 8 1/2″ long. https://go.shopmy.us/p-22967787 And I’ve used these mini spatulas from Williams Sonoma for years – they are extremely versatile! https://go.shopmy.us/p-21600946 King Arthur’s precut parchment sheets are so handly. Use them to line baking sheets as well as loaf pans. https://go.shopmy.us/p-52821864
For gorgeous flavors and extracts, look no further than Nielsen-Massey, including their Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract https://go.shopmy.us/p-20363528 and their Pure Lemon Extract https://go.shopmy.us/p-21185988. Their Pure Lemon Paste is also an exceptional choice for baking! https://go.shopmy.us/p-49381713
Preserving Good Stock may earn compensation on any sales made through our links.
Lemon Pecan Bread
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- One large loaf pan, 9" x 5" x 3"
Ingredients
- 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
- 1-½ tablespoons lemon zest, about 6 lemons
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
