As you bring a piece of this Lemon Pepper Bread to your mouth, you’ll smell a hint of citrus that offers a wonderful contrast to the mild heat of the cracked pepper that follows. Not quite sweet and sour, but close.
I’ve always been a fan of lemon pepper seasoning. I put it on sandwiches, salads, pasta – pretty much any food that makes sense as a savory dish. There’s something wonderful about contrasting flavors… I’ve started a tiny collection of them:
This bread is very soft with a light and fluffy crumb. I used it for turkey sandwiches and served it plain as well. Someday, I’d like to try this combination in a bagel recipe. If you’ve never zested a lemon before, here’s a nice article to bring you up to speed.

Lemon Pepper Bread
As you bring this bread to your mouth, you'll smell a hint of citrus that offers a wonderful contrast to the mild heat of the cracked pepper that follows. Not quite sweet and sour, but close.
Ingredients
- 2 scant tablespoons (or 2 ¼-ounce packages) active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water about 110 degrees
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons soft butter
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon both zest and juice
- 5½-6½ cups unbleached flour
Instructions
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In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and 2 cups flour. Beat vigorously for two minutes.
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Gradually add flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
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Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
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Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Form dough into incredibly clever shapes like giraffes, spaceships, or lotus blossoms. Just kidding. Rolls and loaves are fine. I made six large muffins and two small loaves. This recipe will also make two regular-sized loaves. Place into well-greased loaf pans. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
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About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 190 degrees.
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Immediately remove bread from pans and cool on a rack.