Recipe: Lemon poppy seed loaf with candied lemon rind

Brighten up what is left of winter with the bright, sunshiney acidity of lemon poppy seed bread. Classic flavors are accentuated with the vibrant flavor and pleasant chewy texture of the candied lemon rind in this recipe. Just be sure to candy the lemon rind in advance. Enjoy the bread that will glow a lemony yellow with coffee or tea. 

Serves 8.

Active cook time: 90 minutes.

Ingredients

For Candied Lemon Rind:

2 lemons

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of water

For the Bread:

2 ½ sticks (20 tablespoons) salted butter 

¾ cup of sugar

3 eggs

1 ¾ cups of AP flour

1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder

¾ oat milk

3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons of lemon zest (about 2 lemons worth)

2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

¼ cup of finely chopped candied lemon rind from above

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Candied Lemon Rind:

1. Slice the rind off of the lemons (it is OK to get the white pith, but avoid the pulp).
2. In a small saucepan combine ½ cup of sugar, water and lemon rind over low heat until sugar is dissolved. At this point, lazy bubbles should form. 
3. Cover and cook over low heat until the pith turns translucent. This should take about 10 minutes. 
4. After the pith turns translucent, uncover the pan and allow the mixture to reduce until the mixture looks syrup-like.
5. Remove the rind from the pan and cool on a wire rack overnight. Reserve the syrup.
6. Toss with sugar and chop into ⅛ inch pieces. 

Lemon Loaf:

1. Heat oven to 350°. Allow butter to soften to room temperature.
2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour and baking powder then set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter (reserving 1 tablespoon) and ¾ cup of sugar until the mixture is well incorporated and slightly fluffy. 
5. Add eggs to butter and sugar, one at a time, until incorporated. 
6. Add candied lemon rind, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, lemon zest and poppy seeds to the egg mixture. 
7. Carefully add half of the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Then add the oat milk. Mix until most of the flour has been incorporated. Then add the remaining flour — stirring 10 times — don’t worry if there are some white streaks left in the batter. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, slice the remaining butter into small rectangles and place down the center of the batter.
9. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350° or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
10. Combine the remaining lemon juice, water and powdered sugar with the reserved syrup from the candied rinds. Mix until everything is dissolved (you may need to heat the mixture in the microwave).
11. When the bread is done baking remove it from the oven and brush it with the syrup mixture while still hot. Allow to cool before slicing.