Honey-Lemon Bread

Yesterday was cold and rainy and we were stuck inside. While my son was playing dress-up and fighting imaginary knights and dragons with our dog (yes, dog!), I thought a cup of hot tea would cheer me up. And then I thought that adding a slice of something yummy would make it even better. So I came up with this honey-lemon bread. I had wanted to try baking with honey (instead of processed sugar) for a while and I simply love the combo of honey and lemon. To me, it is both soothing and invigorating.

As the bread was baking, it filled my kitchen with the most tantalizing aroma. No way was I going to wait for the bread to cool down or the glaze to harden, so I cut myself a slice right out of the oven. So. Good. A bit tart. A bit sweet. Perfect with my pear tea. And even better this morning, topped with lemon glaze, and served with a homemade latte.

Makes 1 loaf

For the batter:

• 1 stick (= 8 tablespoons) butter, softened = 115 g de beurre, ramolli
• 2 large egg = 2 oeufs
• 6 to 8 tablespoons honey = 6 à 8 cuillères à soupe de miel
• 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt (if possible honey-flavored) = 4 cuillères à soupe de yaourt grec (si possible aromatisé au miel)
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour = 210 g de farine
• 3 teaspoons baking powder = 1 sachet (11 g) de levure
• ½ teaspoon salt = ½ cuillère à café de sel
• 1 organic lemon = 1 citron bio non-traité

For the glaze:

• 1 lemon = 1 citron
• 1 cup powdered sugar = 130 g de sucre glace

 Preheat oven to 325F/170C.

Combine softened butter, eggs, honey, and Greek yogurt in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until well-blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to previous mixture. Beat until smooth.

Zest the lemon with a microplane grater, then cut it in half and juice it. Add both zest and juice to the batter and stir.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch greased loaf pan, bake for about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, juice second lemon and put 2 tablespoons in a bowl, gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until blended. Glaze should be thick, but pourable. Just add a bit more sugar or lemon juice to achieve the right consistency. Spoon glaze on top of loaf and let it harden for a couple hours. Enjoy!