During this time of the year, the snow is melting (or has melted already), the days are longer, the sun is shining brighter, the weather is getting warmer…and we can actually hear birds chirping outside our windows. Ahh. I LOVE THAT. Warmer weather brings so much hope, so much excitement. Excitement for all that is to come in the near future; like the smell of fresh blooming flowers, long walks by the park after work, patio dining, BBQs with friends and family, bike rides, outdoor running, pool parties, etc. There is so much to do, and all of it is fun. Now don’t get me wrong, winter and fall are great seasons too…but nothing truly compares to spring and summer, as these are delightful seasons that are good for the soul.
To welcome this warmer weather, I have decided to bake a delicious Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Sugar Glaze in my home. This bread seriously tastes like spring in a bottle; you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about if you bake it and try it! It is incredibly good. My husband and neighbors would agree; we all had double servings of this delicious bread. It is SO YUM. (Lemons are in season right now, and they are as juicy and sweet as ever. I’ve been preferring the Meyer variety over others, so that’s what I used for this recipe — but you can use your lemon variety of choice!)
Happy baking!
- [b]For the Bread:[/b]
- 1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ cup organic old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup organic white sugar
- 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
- 1 heaping tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cups organic applesauce
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup grape seed oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup organic [i](Grade A Dark Amber)[/i] maple syrup
- 5 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- Coconut oil spray
- [br]
- [b]For the Glaze:[/b]
- 1 ¼ cup powder sugar
- 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons of lemon zest [i](to garnish)[/i]
- Grease bread pan with coconut oil spray and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine pastry flour, oats, almond flour, and sea salt in mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- In separate mixing bowl, mix flax seed meal with filtered water and allow it to sit for about 4 minutes for it to thicken. Once thickened, add applesauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, grape seed oil, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon extract, sugar and baking soda. Mix ingredients well.
- [i](Note: lemon reacts to baking soda, so don’t worry if you hear a foamy-sound while following this step.)[/i]
- Pour wet mix into dry mix and combine well; fold in poppy seeds and pour batter into bread pan.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until you do the toothpick test and it comes out dry.
- While bread bakes, prepare your glaze. For the glaze, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice in small mixing bowl; it must reach a thick, yet pourable, consistency.
- Once bread is done baking, let it cool completely. Decorate with glaze and lemon zest; slice and enjoy!
