Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread with Greek Yogurt Glaze

“If I got sesame seed then it’d be butter, but if I got poppy-seed- ” she said.

“It would be cream cheese!” I finished.

“YES! That’s the best combo. No way would you mix the cream cheese with sesame. There’s something about the poppy-seed…,” she reminisced.

“I know what you mean,” I said wistfully.

We were on our way home from the gym, rehashing our favorite breakfasts before we broke up with our unhealthy ways. You really can’t get much more New York than cream cheese and bagels, but there’s something about it that made the pairing of tangy cream cheese and subtle nuttiness and crunch of poppy seeds all atop a chewy bagel, simply sublime.

I came home with a mission in mind. How can I enjoy these flavors again without picking up one of the monster bagels loaded up with globs of cream cheese that are sold in nearly every deli and food cart in this city?

The answer was simple: make it myself.

I’d like to impress you with my bagel-making skills, but that’s not going to happen. My apologies if you were expecting some dough-rolling wonders. Besides, my plan wasn’t to indulge in that particular treat. Rather, I wanted to recreate the flavor combination of tangy and nutty while also making something completely new and in season. Add it all up and I got this quick bread recipe. And really, what’s more summery and in season than lemon??

Lemons offer dozens of health benefits including improved immunity, digestion, and detoxification. I add several slices of lemon to my water daily for these reasons. Poppy seeds are a good source of iron, calcium, fiber and phosphorus. Mixed together, both of these ingredients provide a solid foundation for this healthy quick bread. Whole wheat pastry flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and Greek yogurt are great alternatives to standard baking ingredients and they’re relatively affordable and easy to find.

*If you’re keen on making this gluten-free or grain free, then please consider how that will change the rest of the recipe and make adjustments as necessary.

WHOLE WHEAT LEMON POPPY SEED QUICK BREAD with GREEK YOGURT GLAZE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup organic coconut sugar
• 2 tbsps poppy seeds, (plus extra for garnish)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted (plus extra to grease pan)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Greek yogurt, 0% plain
• Zest from 1 medium lemon, approx 1 tbsp
• Juice from 1 lemon, approx 3 tbsps
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1 cup Greek yogurt, 0% plain
• ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Special tools

• 5″ x 9″ glass loaf pan
• Grater or citrus zester

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.

2. Zest and juice lemon and set each aside separately. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt together in one bowl. 

3. In another bowl, mix the coconut sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well for several minutes to remove all clumps. Add half of the dry ingredients and combine. Then add the yogurt and second half of the dry ingredients and mix well together with a spatula. Finally, add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and combine.

4. Scoop the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth out evenly with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

5. As the bread is baking, make the glaze. Place the yogurt into a small bowl. Sift the sugar and add the zest and juice. Mix everything together well with a fork. Taste for flavor and add more lemon juice if necessary. Set aside.

6. Once the bread is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Flip it over onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely for at least an hour. Once cool, spread the glaze over the top. Add zest and poppy seeds to garnish. Cut up a piece and enjoy!! 🙂

How easy was that? 🙂