This lemon sourdough bread is a delicious breakfast option, but it is also perfect for dessert or afternoon tea. The almond sugar topping adds a light sweet crunch that pairs nicely with the lemon.
I’m always looking for ways to use my sourdough starter discard and am delighted to have a lemon bread option.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons for the topping
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Directions
Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside for later.
Add the sugar and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment and beat them on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). If you use an electric hand mixer, it will take about 8 minutes.
Turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and slowly drizzle the oil into the sugar and eggs mixture, blending until just incorporated. Do not put the oil in all at once. You want to keep the mixture airy and light.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold it in. Stir in 1/3 of the milk. Repeat this two more times. Add the sourdough discard.
Add the lemon juice and zest and fold everything together.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle half of the sugar over the top. Sprinkle the almond slivers over the top, followed by the rest of the sugar. Using the back of a large spoon, gently press the sugar and almonds down a little bit to help them adhere to the wet batter.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. The bread is done when a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
Cool the bread in the pan for about 30 minutes. Transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack, keeping it bottom down on the rack and cool it a little longer. You’ll lose some of the sugar and almonds when you take the bread out of the pan. Consider it a snack while you wait for the bread to cool.
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I’m interested in the flavours of this recipe as lemons and almonds are some of my favourites. Though you’re using a sourdough starter this looks more cake-like from the photo, and also in using milk and eggs in the recipe, does it feel like a panettone? I’m intrigued to know before jumping in!
Hi Jon,
This is a quick bread, which is more cake-like. It’s more like banana bread or zucchini bread in its consistency. It isn’t as dry as a panettone.
I make a lot of sweet quick breads with my sourdough starter, because I don’t want to throw the starter out when I feed the starter.
I hope that you have a chance to make the bread and that you enjoy it.
Thanks Dottie, I will give it a try as I’m interested by the flavour the starter gives it.
Great! I hope that you enjoy it.