Lemon Goodness

I found this goodness over at Mel’s Kitchen Café.  She has good things. Although I did make some minor adjustments.  The end result was more than fabulous.
 

Lemon Yogurt Bread

*Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

Bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 large lemons
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (I didn’t use oil; I doubled the applesauce)
1/2 cup applesauce (1 cup of applesauce)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, lowfat or regular (I used Greek Style Yogurt)

 

Glaze:

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemons that were zested for the bread)
4 tablespoons sugar, more or less according to how sweet you want it

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2 inch pans with cooking spray. You may have a bit of batter leftover to also make 1-2 mini loaves or a few muffins. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest and rub the mixture together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, oil, applesauce and yogurt. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pans about 2/3 full (if you have leftover batter you can make mini loaves or a few muffins) and smooth the top. Bake the bread until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes for a normal sized loaf and anywhere from 16-25 minutes for muffins or mini loaves.  

While the bread is baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and let it come to a boil. Take it off the heat until the bread is finished baking. When the bread is done baking, carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack. Gently pour the warm glaze over the top of the warm bread (if the glaze runs off without soaking in, poke tiny holes with a toothpick over the top of the bread and then pour on the glaze). Let the bread cool completely. Store in an airtight container. It will stay moist for 2-3 days at room temperature. However, it will probably be all eaten before the end of day 3 2 1... just sayin'!