This Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon is fragrant loaf with a crisp crust, soft chewy crumb, and balanced notes of floral lavender, sweet honey, and bright lemon zest. Made with active sourdough starter, spelt flour, and a little rye, it is naturally leavened and flavorful without being overly sweet.
The secret is using just enough culinary lavender to give the bread its distinctive floral aroma while fresh lemon zest keeps the flavor bright and balanced. Toast a slice of butter for breakfast, serve it alongside afternoon tea, or enjoy it with a drizzle of honey.
This was inspired by my Finnish Sourdough Bread, Chocolate Cardamom Bread on this site, and pairs well with this Lemon Cinnamon Green Tea.
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Ingredients
You need following ingredients to make this Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon.
- Bread flour: Bread flour provides the gluten strength needed for this high-hydration dough and helps create a chewy crumb.
- Spelt flour: Spelt adds a mild nutty flavor and makes the loaf more flavorful than one made entirely with bread flour.
- Rye flour : A small amount of rye flour adds earthy flavor and complements the honey, lemon, and lavender.
- Active sourdough starter: Use a 100% hydration sourdough starter that is active, bubbly, and at or near its peak. A strong starter is especially important for a loaf containing whole-grain flour.
- Honey: Honey adds subtle sweetness without turning this into sweet bread. It also complements the floral notes of lavender.
- Culinary lavender : Use food-grade culinary lavender. Lavender is potent, so you only need a small amount. One gram gives this loaf a delicate floral aroma without making it taste soapy or overly perfumed.
- Lemon zest : Fresh lemon zest adds bright citrus flavor. Zest only the yellow outer layer of the lemon and avoid the white pith, which can be bitter.
- Salt : Salt balances the flavors and strengthens the dough.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon
In a bowl add sourdough starter, the bread flour, spelt flour, rye flour, and water to a large mixing bowl.
Mix until all the flour is hydrated and there are no dry patches.
Cover and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
- Step 1: Flour
- Step 2: Sourdough starter and water and lemon zest
- Step 3: Salt, lavender and 5g water
- Step 4: Dough before bulk fermentation
5. Step 5: After fermentation
6. Step 6: Score and ready to bake
Add the lavender and lemon zest, Add one gram of culinary lavender and the zest of one lemon. Gently fold them into the dough until they are evenly distributed.
I recommend adding the lavender after the initial dough mixing so that the delicate floral aroma remains noticeable.
Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature.
During the first part of fermentation, perform several rounds of stretch and folds (2) This helps strengthen the gluten and gives the finished bread better structure.
The dough should become smoother, stronger, and noticeably airy as fermentation progresses. After fermenation you can keep it in referigerator for overnight proof.
Next morning score and bake the dough.
This make excellent toast bread.
How to serve this Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon
This loaf is especially good toasted. you can try it with:
Salted butter and honey, Whipped cream cheese., Lemon curd
Strawberry or raspberry jam, Fresh berries, Mascarpone, Ricotta and honey, Goat cheese, Brie and joined with a cup of tea or coffee
For a simple afternoon treat, toast a slice, spread it with butter, and drizzle a little honey over the top.that they're cooking for that could use this.
Why You'll Love This Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon
Floral and lightly sweet – Lavender adds a subtle floral aroma while honey provides just enough sweetness.
Naturally leavened – This bread gets its rise from an active sourdough starter.
Soft and chewy crumb – Perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a special weekend bake.
Beautifully aromatic – The lavender gives the loaf an irresistible fragrance as it bakes.
Easy to customize – You can adjust the amount of lavender depending on how strong you want the floral flavor. Ingredients You'll Need
Variations
If you want you can add other citrus like orange to make this bread.
Storage
This bread will remain good for 2-3 days in room temperature in an air tight breathable container. For longer storage, freeze the loaf as individual slice and wrap it in parchment paper and store it in a freezer safe Ziploc bag.
Top Tip
Share something here that you think is key to making this recipe well, such as: Don't overcook the burgers! Sear the outside and cook to a minimum internal temperature, but they should still be juicy for best results.
FAQ
Use culinary-grade dried lavender intended for cooking and baking. Lavender is strong, so a small amount is enough.
Yes, but the flavor should be subtle. The lemon zest and honey balance the floral lavender, so it does not overpower the sourdough.
Not very. The twenty-five grams of honey adds gentle sweetness and flavor, but this is still primarily a savory-style artisan sourdough bread.
The dough may have been weak, underdeveloped, or over-fermented. Use an active starter and stretch-and-fold during bulk fermentation.
Yes. A loaf pan can make the dough easier to handle, although the shape and crust will be different from a Dutch-oven-baked boule.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes :
Lavender Honey Sourdough Bread with Lemon
Equipment
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- ½ cup 100g active sourdough starter
- 1 ½ cup 350g water
- 3 ⅓ cup 425g bread flour
- ¼ cup 50g spelt flour
- ¼ cup 25g rye flour
- 2 tbps 25g honey
- 2 teaspoon 10g salt
- 1.5 tablespoon 1 g dried culinary lavender.
- Zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Instructions
- In a bowl add active sourdough starter, honey, lemon zest, and water 345g. Then add flours like bread flour, spelt flour and rye flour.Mix until no dry flour remains. Rest for 30–45 minutes.
- Then add the culinary lavender, water (5g) and salt. Gently mix into the dough.
- Cover and begin bulk fermentation at room temperature.
- Perform 2 sets of stretch and folds during the first 2 hours.
- Continue bulk fermentation until the dough is airy, elastic, and noticeably increased in volume, 5–8 hours depending on temperature and starter activity.
- Shape the dough into a boule or Batard and place seam-side up in a floured banneton.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours for proof .
- Next morning, score and bake. Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 450°F.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes with lid on.
- Then remove the dutch oven lid and continue to bake for another 20–25 minutes, until deeply golden brown or it register 200F internal temperature.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!