Lemon-Poppy Seeded Bread

Here is another addition to the bake sale. Lemon-poppy seeded bread


3 tablespoons fresh poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Grated zest of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoons salt

Lemon Syrup (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine the poppy seeds and milk. Let stand 1 hour to marry the flavors.

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan (I used a bunch of little bundt pans). In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the poppy seed-milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake 55-65 minutes (if using mini-bundt pans, they take about 20 minutes or so), or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the loaf, in the pan, on a cooling rack.

To make the lemon syrup, combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat just until the sugar dissolves. Pierce the hot loaf about 10 times top to bottom, with a skewer. Immediately pour the hot lemon syrup over the loaf.