Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

We are big lemon poppy seed fans.  However, we don't have it that often because honestly, I often forget that we are big lemon poppy seed fans.  But when I stumbled on this recipe, it reminded me that it had been way too long (1 year? 2 years?) since the last time I made anything like this.

The bread ended up being moist with great flavor! Next time, I might double the glaze because I liked it so much; this glaze soaks into the bread and I really loved the extra burst of lemon that it added.  However, my husband liked this bread just the way it was.  And a word of warning: although I sprayed my pan, I forgot to flour it and that nice crack pictured above in the bread was the result.  So, just don't forget to butter (or spray) and flour your pans! 

My husband called this lemon poppy seed cake and I was quick to correct him that it's actually a quick bread.  But let's be honest, it might as well be called cake.  Just cake that seems slightly more acceptable as breakfast or a snack.

  

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Taken from: Kelsey's Apple A Day
Makes 1 loaf

• zest and juice of 1-2 large lemons, divided (I only needed 1 juicy lemon)
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup all-purpose)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. milk (I used skim)
• 2 Tbsp. chia or poppy seeds (I used 1 Tbsp of poppy and 1 Tbsp of chia seeds)
• 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray or butter and flour one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or 2-3 mini loaf pans (not glass), knocking out any excess flour.
2. Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2 tsp. and squeeze enough juice to measure about 1/4 cup. 
3. Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until batter is combined well.  Beat in seeds and 1 TBSP lemon juice and pour batter into prepared loaf pans, smoothing tops. Bake loaves in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45-60 minutes for a full-sized loaf (mine was close to 45 minutes) or 40-45 minutes for mini loaves.  Check for doneness with a skewer or toothpick.
6. While loaves are baking, in a small bowl stir together 3 Tbsp of remaining lemon juice and confectioners' sugar to form a glaze (next time, I might double the amount of glaze because I love the extra lemon-y flavor!).
7. Cool loaves in pans on a rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert bread onto rack. Turn right side up and pierce top all over with a thin skewer. Repeatedly brush lemon glaze over tops of loaves until all of glaze is absorbed.
8. Cool loaves completely. Bread keeps, wrapped in wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days or, wrapped in foil and frozen, 1 month.