Lemon Tea Bread

This wonderful bread is almost like a cake because of the syrup that is brushed over the bread when it comes right out of the oven. The bread then sits in the pan for an hour to absorb all the wonderful added flavor. It's yummy for breakfast, tea, or as a snack. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps. freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Syrup:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Combine sugar, butter and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth.
3. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Four additions of flour to 3 additions of milk.
4. Add lemon zest and pecans.
5. Pour into a buttered 8" x 4" loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack.
6. While bread is baking, dissolve powdered sugar in lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
7. Use a long-tined meat fork, if you have one, to pierce the entire top of the bread so the lemon syrup penetrates the entire surface. If you don't have a meat fork you can use a sharp knife, it just takes a little more time. I prefer to brush the syrup on the loaf with a pastry brush because I think it covers more evenly, but you can spoon the syrup over, as well.
8. Cool the bread in the pan for 1 hour. Remove by running a table knife around the edge of the bread to loosen it from the pan and turn out onto the rack to cool completely. If the bread is sticking, put a pancake turner under each end of the loaf to further loosen and it will turn right out.
9. When the bread is cool, wrap it in foil and set aside for 24 hours before cutting.