Lemon Bread



One loaf without poppy seeds...



One loaf with poppy seeds...

This is another great lemon recipe from my Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook.  I am madly making goodies with the lemons from my in-law's yard Tucson, Arizona.  Can you imagine walking into your yard at your home and hand picking lemons, oranges and grapefruits?  How great would that be!?

I made two loaves of lemon bread this weekend; one with poppy seeds and one without.

Lemon Bread
(Makes one loaf)

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose (unbleached) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze (optional)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk to combine.
Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl; stir with a whisk to combine.
Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once.  Stir gently with a rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moistened; don't over mix.  A few lumps are okay.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. (I checked my loaf at closer to 45 minutes and it was already done... which was a good thing because my husband was rushing me out the door so we could go to the gym...)  Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  While bread is still hot and in still in the the loaf pan, brush the glaze onto the top of the loaf with a pastry brush.  The recipe says you should remove the loaf from the pan after the loaf has cooled for about 10 minutes, then allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack, then wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, and store it overnight before serving.  Yeah, right!

Since I was going to the gym and in a big hurry, I let the bread sit in the pan (with the glaze soaking in) while we were at the gym for an hour.  When I got home from the gym, I removed the loaf from the pan and wrapped the still warm bread in plastic wrap.  I tried to keep it wrapped up before slicing into it but, like I said, since we had just gotten home from the gym and we were EXTRA hungry!   The bread only stayed wrapped up for a little while before we dove in!  This bread is good with or without poppy seeds.




Sticky glaze brushed on top makes for a pretty, shiny loaf...