Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Bread

There’s something about summer that makes me want to eat pound cakes and quick breads. I  know you’d rather not turn on the oven, since ’tis the opposite of the Christmas season (unless you’re in Australia, though, right?!), but I’m convinced that you’ll do it—for the right reason. This simple but delicious gluten free lemon poppyseed bread is that reason. The batter is ready in minutes (really. minutes.), and the hardest things you’ll do are bring a few ingredients to room temperature, and then zest and juice a lemon. Easy peasy. The reward? See for yourself.

Since we only use natural lemon flavors, the lemon doesn’t punch you in the face or anything in this tender and moist gluten free quick bread. If you were secretly hoping for a lemony face-punch, try using pure lemon extract in place of the pure vanilla extract. *boom*

The batter is thick enough that it’s pretty easy to shape a bit in the loaf pan, if you’re so inclined. Just use a wet spatula to pull it away from the short ends of the pan a bit and pile it a bit higher toward the center. The rise will be similar to a yeast bread rise.

Oh, and be sure to slice it generously. Nobody likes a sliver, no matter what they say. I never take “oh just a small piece for me” seriously. :)

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 45 minutes       Yield: 1 loaf gluten free bread

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

6 tablespoons (54 g) cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium-size lemon (about 3 tablespoons juice)

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (230 g) sour cream, at room temperature (can replace with an equal amount Greek-style yogurt)

2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds, and whisk to combine well. Add the lemon zest, and whisk to combine, breaking up any lumps. Add the sugar, and whisk again to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter will be thick.

• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and spread into an even layer with a wet spatula. For a more even loaf, with a wet, very sharp knife, slash the loaf down the center about 1/4-inch deep. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean and the top is lightly golden brown (another 10 to 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice thickly and serve.