I had two whole paragraphs written about how hard this week has been and how big of an a-hole my toddler AND puppy have been all week, but then I changed my mind.
So I deleted it. I didn’t want to write about that stuff today.
While I try to keep this space real and honest (including the good and bad of motherhood), for today, I am choosing to focus on the positive. I am turning my lemons into lemonade.
OK, no I’m not, but I AM turning them into the most moist, sweet and happy Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread. My favorite thing about lemon poppy seed bread is that it is delicious as a sweet breakfast alongside an oversized cup of coffee, or as dessert.
Or, in the case of my day, both.
And then there’s the poppy seeds. I don’t know what it is about these teeny-tiny seeds, but somehow they make this soft, moist, buttery lemon bread even better. Anyone know? I tried Googling it (of course) and all that came up was “Can eating poppy seeds cause you to fail a drug test?” No drug tests in my future, so I can’t get back to you on that one.
Aside from turning pretty lemons into even prettier lemon poppy seed bread, it is Friday and tomorrow Octavian will be spending the night at his Nana’s house. I debated about having him spend the night because I miss him when he is gone for more than a few hours, but then this morning happened and I decided ummm, no. He’s going.
And, to be honest, I need more than the 14 minutes of “me time” that my husband would be able to give me.
Happy Mother’s Day to me.
And all you other FANTASTIC Mama’s out there!
Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread
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- 1.66 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest - from approximately 4 small lemons
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
- 3 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray or butter a 9 by 4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt until fully combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest and rub together with your fingertips until sugar becomes moist. Attach the paddle attachment and add the butter to the sugar mixture. Mix on medium until butter is soft and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. If necessary, occasionally scrape sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix once more.
- In a small microwave safe bowl or container, mix together the milk and sour cream. Place in the microwave and heat until mixture is no longer cold (room temperature is the ideal temperature here).
- Finally, working in 3 separate batches and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with half the milk mixture and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, mixing until just combined after each addition.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 45-55 minutes. To prevent the top from burning, tent the top with foil approximately 30 minutes into baking, being careful not to touch the loaf with the foil. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow loaf to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack and removing from pan. Cut loaf into slices and store any remaining pieces in an air-tight container to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
Enjoy!
Adapted by Cooking Classy
