Lemon bread

It's Friday.  I love Fridays!  Especially the ones that my husband has off.  4 day week are great but 3 day weekends are better.  Today we headed out for a morning of snow fun.  Can I just say that I live in the coolest spot (not temperature wise)?!?  Spring is here and we have finally been getting rain (It has been a super dry winter).  So, today my kids were able to bundle up and play in the snow (we only drove 45 minutes!) and came home and put on shorts.  If we wanted to, we could have gone to the beach. . . all in one day (we didn't. . . we chose a nice quiet afternoon of napping instead).  

So, tonight I am curled up on the couch watching a Crossing Jordan marathon (thank you Netflix) and my husband is sound asleep next to me. . . he opted out on the nap and did yard work. . . so he's been out since the kids went to bed.  Maybe we will watch our movie tomorrow night. In the meantime, I blog.

I am determined to use every lemon on my lemon tree without a single one getting gross. I am almost there (I have even given away a bunch!).  There are a few more lemons, so expect a few more recipes. 

This recipe was so incredibly moist!  I love the taste of lemon bread and I think I see a lemon poppyseed bread in our near future.  For the most part, the bread was incredibly simple.  I love the powdered sugar glaze over the top and the combination of sugared zest sprinkled over the top.  

Lemon Tea Bread
Source: Southern Living, October 2004 or here

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbs lemon zest, divided
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:
Beat butter at medium speed until creamy.  Slowly add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed until just blended.  Stir in a tablespoon of lemon zest.  Spoon batter into greased and flowered loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Mine took less time, as you can see by the crispier edges.  Let bread cool in pan for about 10 minutes.  Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  Spoon it evenly over the top of bread allowing a nice drizzle over the sides.  Stir together 1 table spoon of zest and sugar and sprinkle on top of bread.

Happy baking.