This Lavender Tea Bread is not a typical sweet bread, but it does have that light floral note that lavender brings which adds a sweetness all it own. It is just the thing to have with your cuppa, whether first thing in the morning, as a late night treat or at your next high tea.
In the typical lavender tea bread recipes, you must steep lavender buds in milk. Since the original recipe called for 1 cup of white sugar, we substituted a cup of our lavender sugar, which saves the whole step of steeping the milk and still lends an elegant lavender flavor. Downton Abbey fans take note!!
If you want to skip the glaze, it is just as good that way too.
Lavender Tea Bread
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp. butter softened
- 3/4 Cup milk
- 1 cup Lavender Sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Glaze
- 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon water (optional to use lemon juice)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. (Full disclosure - we used a non-stick loaf pan and didn't grease it, it came out fine.)
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Remember that the lavender sugar starts as turbinado sugar, so it will act differently than white granulated sugar. It also is not white at the base so it will be darker in color. It will eventually cream together, just be patient.
- Beat in the egg until the mixture is light and fluffy; add in vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk until just blended.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven. Ours sometimes takes longer to bake - you might need to check it by inserting a cake tester, toothpick or knife and making sure it comes out clean.
Glaze (optional)
- To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Spread over hot bread. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.