Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread

This Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. It’s lightly sweetened, super moist, and bursting with citrus flavor.

Post and recipe updated 4/2/2025

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What You’ll Love About Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread

What Is Tea Bread?

Classic tea bread is a lightly sweetened bread made with currents soaked in tea, or other dried fruits and citrus flavors. It’s lightly sweetened, very moist, and a nice change from the heavier breads made with additional oil and sugar.

Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread takes a handful of simple pantry ingredients, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon Greek yogurt for moistness and tang. The top has a sugary crust and the inside is tender and moist.

Tea Bread Is Not Too Sweet

Unlike some baked breads, tea bread is designed to be a more substantial and satisfying treat, not a sugary indulgence–although you could add more sugar to fit your taste, it’s meant to be enjoyed as a healthy treat, snack, or for breakfast with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

You’ll love making this bread especially during the spring and summer months when you’re craving something light with fresh citrus flavor.

Enjoy my Lemon Zucchini Muffins or my Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake for another sweet treat this spring.

Key Ingredients

• Flour- I use all-purpose flour here but you could use a combination of white wheat and all-purpose.
• Sugar- This recipe is very low-sugar, only 6 tablespoons which is more than half the amount in common baked breads.
• Greek yogurt- Use lemon or plain full-fat Greek yogurt. This maintains moistness in the tea bread and also offer a subtle tangy flavor.
• Egg– This will help bind the ingredients.
• Butter– Adds flavor and some fat to help keep the bread moist.
• Vanilla extract– Offers a warm vanilla scent.
• Lemon– You’ll need lemon juice and zest from one fresh lemon.
• Poppy seeds– Poppy seeds offer texture and a subtle nutty taste.
• Other ingredients– Baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Substitutions and Additions

Highlighted Tip

• The bread batter is very thick- This is not your usual bread batter. When the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients, you should have a scone-like consistency. It will be soft and tacky. Be careful not to over-work it as the bread will turn out tough.

Step By Step Directions

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in a second bowl.

Step Two. Combine the dry ingredients with wet until a soft dough forms. Transfer to a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray and spread out in an even layer. Top with sugar.

Step Three. Bake in the oven at 350℉ for 45-50 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the center set. Allow to cool for at least 30-minutes before slicing.

The Best Way To Serve Lemon Tea Bread

I find the best way to serve lemon tea bread is with a spread of softened butter and a drizzle of honey. This adds a touch of sweetness without it being overly sweet. I also love to enjoy this bread with a cup of chamomile hot tea which compliments the flavors nicely.

Tips

Common Questions

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
• Ultimate Chocolate Banana Bread
• Yellow Squash Zucchini Bread
• Aloha Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread

This Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. It’s lightly sweetened, super moist, and bursting with citrus flavor.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 258kcal

Equipment

• 1 medium bowl
• 1 large bowl
• 1 1.5 Qt loaf pan

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 cups full-fat lemon Greek yogurt or plain note, if using plain your bread will be less sweet
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1.5 quart loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

• In a medium bowl combine flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.

  2 cups flour

  5 tbsp sugar

  2 tsp baking powder

  1/2 tsp baking soda

  1/4 tsp salt

  1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
• In a large bowl whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, butter, and egg until well combined.

  1 1/2 cups lemon or plain Greek yogurt

  1/2 lemon juiced

  1 tbsp lemon zest

  1 tsp vanilla

  1/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled

  1 egg
• Use a large spoon to incorporate flour mixture with the wet ingredients until combined and moistened. The mixture will be thick and sticky, almost like scone batter. Be careful not to over-work the batter as it will make the bread tough.
• Spread batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1 tbsp sugar, then bake for 40-45 minutes in preheated oven until golden on top and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 30-minutes before slicing.

Notes

Tips

 

• For sweeter tea bread- You can add more sugar for a sweeter tea bread or use a flavored, and sweetened Greek yogurt like lemon or vanilla. This will offer additional sweetness.
• The bread batter is very thick- This is not your usual bread batter. When the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients, you should have a scone-like consistency. It will be soft and tacky. Be careful not to over-work it as the bread will turn out tough.
• If the top gets too browned- If the top of your bread is getting too brown before the inside is done, place a piece of foil over the top while it continues to cook through.

 

Substitutions and Additions

 

• Greek yogurt – You’ll want to use a full-fat Greek yogurt. Plain, lemon, or even vanilla flavored.
• Nuts and dried fruit– To add more texture and flavor try adding dried cranberries, raisins, or apricots. Toasted almonds or pistachios pair well with the lemon flavors.
• Lemon substitute– Use orange zest and juice in place of the lemon.

 

Common Questions

 

Can I make this with gluten-free flour?

I have not tested this. Gluten-free flour is direr and more absorbent than all-purpose flour so the wet ingredients would need to be adjusted to make sure the bread comes out moist.

Does lemon tea bread freeze well?

Yes! Place cooled bread in the freezer wrapped in parchment paper, then two layers of foil. I like to slice the bread first so I can easily grab one or two slices at a time. Allow to thaw at room temperature or heat in the microwave until warmed through.

Can I make lemon tea bread into muffins?

I have not tested this. However, the dough is very thick and might be difficult to portion out into individual muffin cups.

Why is this bread not very sweet?

Tea bread is not meant to be super sweet like traditional baked bread treats. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.

What is the best way to store lemon tea bread?

Store tea bread in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also place it in the refrigerator, however, it may dry out. 

 

Nutritional facts are for 1 1-inch slice. 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 2mg

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