Bread Recipe #28 - Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

What do you do when life gives you lemons???? Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread!! Ingredients: 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup poppy seeds, 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup milk. Syrup: 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons), 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour 4 mini loaf pans. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in poppy seeds. In a large bowl with electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar; add the zest and vanilla and mix well. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the milk until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture mixing just until combined. Divide the batter among the 4 prepared pans and pop into the preheated 350 degree. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. While breads are baking, make syrup: In a small saucepan combine the lemon juice and sugar; bring mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cover saucepan to keep syrup warm. When breads are done transfer to cooling racks. Poke the tops of the breads immediately all over randomly with a skewer. Brush them with some of the warm syrup and allow the breads to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Invert breads onto the racks and poke all sides of each loaf with the skewer (tip onto side for better skewer-poking, then repeat with other side). Brush the breads with remaining syrup and let them cool, right sides up. Wrap the breads in plastic wrap and foil and let them stand overnight. ( I ignored this step and had a piece while it was still warm-delicious! The breads keep, wrapped well in plastic and foil, chilled for 1 week or frozen for 1 month (won't last that long). I found this recipe on the Epicurious website; it was originally presented in "Gourmet", December 1990. "Rolling in the dough!"