This gluten-free Lemon Loaf has nothing to envy regular loaves, it is bursting with refreshing citrus flavors and a moist, tender crumb, and it is gluten-free!
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well with vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest using your fingers to rub the sugar and the lemon zest together. This helps the zest release and infuse the sugar with lemon flavor.
Add the melted butter to the sugar mix and whisk to combine well. Next, add the vanilla extract and the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition until fully combined.
Incorporate the sour cream, milk and lemon juice. It is normal if the mixture curdles a little bit.
Mix in the gluten-free flour (can substitute by all purpose flour, too!), baking powder, and salt. Whisk until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Do not over-mix if using regular all-purpose flour to avoid gluten development.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.
While the bread cools, prepare the lemon glaze. Combine all ingredients for the lemon glaze in a medium bowl and whisk together. Adjust the consistency by adding more lemon juice for a runnier glaze, or more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency. The ideal consistency should be thick but it still flows out of the spoon. Pour glaze over the top of the loaf after it has cooled. Let it set completely before storing and cutting (don’t be like me :P, I couldn’t wait!).