This sourdough lemon bread recipe is perfect for the summer season. It has all the fresh tang of lemon with all the sweetness of a bakery style bread. Top it with lemon icing and enjoy with a sip of iced tea on the porch! Learn all about how to make it here…
Lemon Cake or Lemon Bread?
I had a really hard time deciding if this recipe should be called “sourdough lemon cake” or “sourdough lemon bread”. To be honest I am still pretty confused as to which category it would fall under. However, it was made in a bread pan so that is what we are going with.
If you make this recipe I would love some feedback and follow up in the comments as to which you feel it should be named- cake or bread!
Baking with Sourdough Starter
We are all familiar by now with the sourdough bread craze! After 2020 it seemed to absolutely blow up social media. What many of us did not know is that sourdough starter can be used in such a vast diversity of recipes- everything from savory to sweet!
Click here for my most basic sourdough bread recipe for beginners!
When added to a recipe sourdough starter adds benefits to health, texture, and taste! You might think it odd to add sourdough starter to something sweet like a cake or cookies. All I can say is, don’t knock it until you try it!
Looking for a place to source sourdough starter? Go check out our dehydrated starter over on our online shop!
Due to the amount of sugar, natural or artificial, the “sour” taste of the sourdough starter is often canceled out. Meaning, what you make will not have the taste of sourdough necessarily but it will have all the nutritional benefits of the probiotics.
When adding sourdough starter to a recipe for the first time I highly recommend starting small. Things such as amount of sugar, amount of flour, eggs, or butter may need to be adjusted based on the hydration of your starter. What I have noticed as a general rule of thumb is that for every 1/2 cup starter you will need at least 1/2 cup more flour than what your recipe calls for- sometimes up to 1 cup more.
Tools You Need for Sourdough Lemon Bread
Making this sourdough lemon bread is simple and fun. Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe…
- One large bowl/or stand mixer
- Wire whisk or something to stir
- One bread loaf pan (I prefer this glass one)
- Lemon juicer or glass jar/bowl to juice lemons
Ingredients and Substitutions for Sourdough Lemon Bread
The ingredients for this recipe are simple and most likely all things you have on hand. Here is everything you need…
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard or active
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice about 1 and 1/2 lemons
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Substitutions and Adjustments
Active or discard starter can be used with similar results. No fermentation or rise time is required for this recipe. You can ferment the dough if you prefer by placing it in the refrigerator covered with a damp towel for about 8 hours.
Cane sugar can be substituted for honey or maple syrup if desired.
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Things like the organic cane sugar I used in this recipe, unbleached flour, cleaning supplies, snacks, and so much more! We love shopping Thrive and I know you will too. Click here to use my link and get a FREE $60 GIFT!
Storing
My sourdough lemon bread loaf did not last longer than a few days because we ate it that fast! However if you intend on having yours around a while you can store it in a cool, dry place (a bread bin) for up to five days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. Due to the moisture of the bread I would not recommend keeping it past seven days in the refrigerator.
If you want more from scratch, sourdough recipes from my kitchen to yours make sure you join the email list below so you never miss a post!
Sourdough Lemon Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard or active
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice about 1 and 1/2 lemons
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Lemon Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice for thinner icing use more juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Combine starter, water, butter, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Add baking powder, salt, and flour.
- Pour into a greased bread pan and bake on 350℉ for 30-40 minutes or until the middle comes out clean with a toothpick.
- Allow to fully cool before icing or slicing!
Lemon Icing
- To make lemon icing for the top combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk well until the icing is smooth. Wait until the bread has completely cooled before applying icing.
