Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 

I just feel like baking something today since it’s Friday. I have always enjoyed staring at all the pretty muffins at the cafe and studying the types of muffin available. Lemon and poppy seed seems to be a perfect combination in baking.

Since I have a pack of poppy seeds sitting in my baking cabinet for weeks waiting to be opened, I just thought of trying to bake some lemon poppy seed muffins today. If it turns out well, I shall bake it next week for my friend’s bridal shower.

This recipe is extracted from allrecipes.com and it yields 15 medium muffins. Instead of using 2 cups all purpose flour, I substituted 1 cup of all purpose flour with 1 cup of whole wheat bread flour. I am always a fan of whole wheat rather than white flour. As for the lemon juice and lemon zest, one standard size lemon is sufficient for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain/lemon flavoured yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons white sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.
2. Combine the flour, 3/4 cup white sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil and lemon zest. Blend well and pour over the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do no overmix!
4. Spoon batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 minutes.
5. Combine the lemon juice with the remaining 3 tablespoons white sugar. Stir into sugar dissolves.
6. Once the muffins are baked pierce the tops several times with a toothpick. Slowly brush the lemon juice and sugar mixture over the tops of each muffin. Let muffins cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin.

At first, I was kind of worried when checking through the oven window as the muffins look pretty plain and dull. However, the lemon juice and sugar mixture was a real saviour. It gives the muffin a nice glaze. I also read from some websites mentioning that the sugar mixture actually helps to extend the life span of the muffin too.

The final muffins are moist and refreshing. Most probably I will be baking these muffins next weekend for my friend’s bridal shower. One more good thing about this recipe is that it uses less oil and incorporates some healthy yogurt for more calcium.

TIPS:

To get the most juice from a lemon, it should be allowed to reach room temperature, or microwaved for a few seconds prior to juicing. Using your palm to roll the lemon on a hard surface can also help improve juice yields. If you only need a little juice, some people pierce the end with a fork, squeeze the amount needed, cover the holes with tape and then store in the fridge.