This recipe for Glazed Lemon Pecan Sweet Bread is an adaptation of my great grandmother’s lemon sweet bread. Back in her day, this sweet bread would have been considered quite a luxurious treat, perhaps one reserved for company.
Gram lived in a small village in rural Prince Edward Island where there was, yes, a small general corner store but I doubt that lemons would have been altogether common all the time. I don’t know from where or when she got the recipe for Lemon Sweet Bread, but I am guessing it is probably one she clipped from the newspaper. This great grandmother was known particularly for three foods – apple pie, peach marmalade, and lemon sweet bread. I don’t personally remember her apple pie but, I do have memories that go as far back as the 1960s and I do remember her peach marmalade and lemon sweet bread, both of which were lovingly and carefully made.
Some glaze their sweet breads with lemon juice mixed with confectioner’s sugar (aka icing sugar or powdered sugar). I just use regular granulated sugar as I find the confectioner’s sugar can cause the glaze to be a bit “chippy” and it breaks off the sweet bread whereas the glaze made with granulated sugar is more clear or translucent and is more absorbed into the loaf for added flavor and moistness. Whichever glaze is used, however, is a matter of personal preference.
This sweet bread freezes well. In fact, I often make it, slice it, and individually wrap the slices in plastic wrap before freezing them in a freezer bag or airtight container. They are ready for quick lunch bag preparation on weekday mornings.
This loaf also goes particularly well with a lovely cup of tea. To butter or not to butter slices of sweet breads is a matter of preference.
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Glazed Lemon Pecan Sweet Bread
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
2½ tsp grated lemon rind
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup milk
2 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving some excess paper overhang that can be used as handles to lift loaf out of pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter then gradually beat in the sugar. Beat, at medium speed, until the butter-sugar mixture is light coloured and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, if needed. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pecans. With the mixer speed set to low or “stir” mode, add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, if necessary, to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Beat at medium-high speed an additional 20-30 seconds or so to ensure the dry ingredients have been completely incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, spreading batter evenly with knife.
Bake loaf for approximately 1 hour or until cake tester inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.
Glaze: About 3-4 minutes before bread is due to come out of the oven, combine lemon juice and sugar in small bowl. Slowly drizzle pourable glaze over hot loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Cool loaf in pan for about 15 minutes then carefully turn loaf out on to wire rack to finish cooling. Cool sweet bread completely before slicing and serving.
Yield: 1 – 9”x5” loaf
Glazed Lemon Pecan Sweet Bread
An easy-to-make sweet bread that is flavored with lemon and studded with pecans and topped with a lemon-sugar glaze
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 2/3 cup milk
Glaze:
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving some excess paper overhang that can be used as handles to lift loaf out of pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter then gradually beat in the sugar. Beat, at medium speed, until the butter-sugar mixture is light coloured and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, if needed. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pecans. With the mixer speed set to low or “stir” mode, add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, if necessary, to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Beat at medium-high speed an additional 20-30 seconds or so to ensure the dry ingredients have been completely incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, spreading batter evenly with knife.
- Bake loaf for approximately 1 hour or until cake tester inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.
Glaze:
About 3-4 minutes before bread is due to come out of the oven, combine lemon juice and sugar in small bowl. Slowly drizzle pourable glaze over hot loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Cool loaf in pan for about 15 minutes then carefully turn loaf out on to wire rack to finish cooling. Cool sweet bread completely before slicing and serving.
Yield: 1 – 9”x5” loaf
Recipe Notes
[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
For other quick bread recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
Blueberry Quick Bread
Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf
Strawberry Rhubarb Quick Bread
Classic Banana Bread
Green Tomato Quick Bread
Cranberry, Orange, and Eggnog Loaf
Cinnamon Sweet Bread
Cherry Loaf
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