Key Lime Bread Recipe
You cannot visit Key West without trying a slice of key lime pie. I have had no luck recreating what I consider a good key lime pie, but I did make this key lime bread that turned out pretty delicious.
Key Limes only grow in climates where the weather stays warm and never dips below freezing temperatures (tropical and sub-tropical climates), which is why it became popular in the Florida Keys.
Did you know that before there was key lime pie there was Cuban bread? In the 1800s, fishermen kept key limes on board to prevent sickness. They mixed the key lime juice with sweetened condensed milk, sometimes with wild bird. They’d pour the sweet-tangy mixture over stale Cuban bread and leave it in the sun for a bit to set.
Key Lime Bread Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Cool Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Bread:
1 ⅓ c flour
⅓ c unsalted sweet cream butter (room temp)
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp freshly grated lime zest
1 tbsp fresh Key Lime juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
½ c sweet cream buttermilk
Glaze:
¾ C powdered sugar
2 tbsp fresh squeezed Key lime juice
Topping:
½ c toasted coconut
2 tbsp fresh grated lime zest
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prep loaf pan with nonstick baking spray
Bread:
Add butter, sugar, and eggs to a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer cream the butter, sugar, and eggs together until it becomes a light color and the mixture is fluffy. Continue to blend while adding in the lime juice, zest, and vanilla.
Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a second bowl.
Slowly begin adding one-third of the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture. After each addition of the flour mixture, add in one-third of the buttermilk. Continue to mix until all ingredients are blended.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
(Check to make sure the bread is baked by inserting a toothpick in the center of the loaf.) Once baked, remove the loaf from the oven.
Set the bread while still in the loaf pan on a counter to cool for 15 minutes.
Glaze:
Add the powdered sugar and lime juice to a bowl. Beat until cream. Drizzle the glaze over warm bread.
Sprinkle toasted coconut over the glaze.
Top with freshly grated lime zest.
Set aside until the glaze has set.
Slice and serve.
More Bread Recipes
Cheesy Garlic Beer Bread Recipe
Spiced Pecan Crumble Bread Recipe
