Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Remember how incredibly proud I was of my little lemon tree, which produced more fruit than ever this year? Well, I got quite the reality check when my neighbor knocked on my door a couple of weeks ago with a HUGE bucket full of lemons, inquiring if I would like some of those lemons and that she had plenty more where those came from. Her bucket surely put my little tree to shame. However, I didn't waste any time to answer yes and was "convinced" to take some lemons off her hands. I kept thinking of all the sweet dishes, savory dishes and lemonades I could possibly make with this abundance of citrus. Faced with the extremely hard task of what to use my bounty on first, I began searching the internet for lemon desserts. No sooner had I started looking than when I found this great looking and sounding recipe for a lemon poppy seed loaf. I have loved the combination of those two for a long time and have made Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins countless times since I first featured them on my blog.

This recipe comes courtesy of Joyofbaking.com.  This bread uses a slightly different method than what I have been used to. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy before adding the eggs, this recipe goes about it in a reversed way. All the dry ingredients are mixed together before adding all of the softened butter and half of the egg/milk mixture. The premise behind this method is that it will reduce some of the gluten formation and with that produce a wonderful quick bread that is almost velvety in texture. What also sets this bread apart is a simple glaze of fresh lemon juice and sugar which is cooked until syrupy, and then brushed over the freshly baked loaf that has been poked with a wooden skewer. By doing so the lemon flavor will penetrate throughout this already wonderful bread and you will get full on, mouth-puckering lemon flavor without adding any artificial lemon extract and as an added benefit it will make this bread even more moist and tender. Each and every bite is loaded with a citrus explosion.

This recipe makes one loaf. Mine turned out a bit short since my loaf pan is slightly bigger then what the recipe calls for, but that certainly did not affect the taste one bit. The first time I made this bread, it was gone in the blink of an eye (I'm talking less then 12 hours). I've baked several of these loaves since, giving some to neighbors (especially my lemon bearing friend), friends, colleagues, high school kids and teachers. As soon as I bake one of them, it pretty much disappears and it is safe to assume that this recipe has been an absolute hit with everyone who has been on the receiving end. I'm even going as far as saying that this recipe has replaced my previous favorite, which happened to be Dorie's lemon poppy seed muffins. I'm pretty sad since my lemon abundance has come to an end and I will have to wait almost a whole year before being able to reap the benefits of  the lemon trees in my neighbors backyard again. So Tahnya, if you are reading this, I'll be more than happy to take some more off your hands next year. Deal?

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

~makes 1 loaf~

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the bread:

3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
3 tablespoons (30 grams) poppy seeds
13 tablespoons (184 grams) unsalted butter, softened

For the lemon syrup: 

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice 

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inch). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined. Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute. (This aerated and develops the cake's structure).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating about 30 seconds after each addition. (This will strengthen the structure of the batter).

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You may have to cover the bread with buttered foil after about 30 minutes if you find the bread over-browning.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with about half the hot lemon syrup. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the remaining syrup onto the bottom and the sides of the loaf. Re-invert the bread so it is right side up and then cool the bread completely before wrapping. Store for a few hours before serving to allow the lemon syrup to distribute throughout the loaf.

Adapted from: Joyofbaking.com

Crunchy Pea Salad

I found the recipe for this salad many years ago online and have loved it ever since. I suppose you really need to like peas to enjoy this salad, so if you do, I hope you'll give this one a try. It is one of my favorite salads to serve in the spring/summer time.

The salad is made quickly, and is beautiful to look at. It is also easily taken along for picnics and potlucks and is still tasty after a couple of days in the refrigerator. Radishes, water chestnuts, and fresh sweet red pepper add great crunch and contrast to the bright green peas. The dressing is whisked together quickly and tastes fresh and light despite the mayonnaise. However, if you are watching your diet, feel free to use low fat mayonnaise in the dressing without compromising taste. 

  

Crunchy Pea Salad

~makes 6-8 servings~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas, thawed

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup radishes, diced

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the peas, water chestnuts, radishes, red pepper and onion.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Sonoma Chicken Salad

Shopping at Costco is always an adventure. You never know what you can come across. On weekends when all the testers are out, you can actually make a meal of it, and unfortunately it also means more impulse buys since you think you "have" to buy the product you just tasted.

Costco's Sonoma Chicken Salad was one of those buys. It had cranberries, pecans and poppy seeds in it. This sets it apart from a lot of the chicken salads that are out there. It was mighty tasty and we all enjoyed it. The only downside of the Costco chicken salad is that for one, it is expensive, and for two, it also has some unpronounceable ingredients mixed in along with a high calorie count.

So in true fashion I decided to replicate the recipe, and we haven't bought one chicken salad from Costco since. It is a different kind of dish than what you might be used to since I add pecans, dried cranberries, poppy seeds, and grapes to my version which makes it incredibly delicious and look beautiful. Many people who I have served this to who were initially turned off by all the fruit, ended up liking it after all and I keep getting requests for the recipe. 

This salad can be served with crackers, with a loaf of good artisan bread or on a split croissant. It also travels well for picnics and potlucks. I hope you'll give my creation a try!

Sonoma Chicken Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin and bones removed, roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 cup green grapes, cut in half

1 cup red grapes, cut in half

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl add chicken, celery, green and red grapes, and dried cranberries.

For the dressing whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gently toss chicken mixture and dressing together. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Fold in toasted pecans right before serving.

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe, inspired by Costco

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

For our first BWD: Baking with Dorie Challenge, my baking partner Grapefruit from Needful Things and I, decided on Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins on Page 10 and 11 in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my home to yours .

The muffins have an incredible subtle lemon flavor throughout that isn't overpowering, while the poppy seeds add a great contrast and a nice little crunch. Also with the addition of sour cream to the batter it makes the crumb of the muffin very light and moist. The glaze which consist of lemon juice and powdered sugar provides an additional dimension and a little bit of a jolt.

The muffin dough doesn't require an electric mixer, it is all stirred together by hand. The batter starts with one of Dorie's typical elements of rubbing sugar and lemon zest together until well combined and fragrant. You then whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

In another bowl you mix melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream which then gets added to the dry ingredients. After all ingredients are well incorporated (without over mixing) you add the poppy seeds.

The batter is then put into paper cup lined muffin tins and baked.

After the muffins are cooled, add the glaze to finish the muffins.

The muffins were incredible. They are not too sweet which makes them perfect for breakfast. I also love anything lemon so that was another big plus. I had fun baking these muffins along with Grapefruit, so please go on over to Needful Things and check out her take on them.

For our next BWD in two weeks (the 15th of March) we have decided on making Split Level Pudding on Page 384 and 385, so if you like what you see and want to join the fun with us next time, just shoot Grapefruit or me an email.