Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: gluten & dairy free

You know those smells or foods that immediately bring you back to your childhood? For me, one of those foods is lemon poppy seed muffins. I remember buying the Krusteaz brand box mix and making them with my mom and sisters. I was homeschooled from Kindergarten through 6th grade, so we spent a lot of time at home, together, baking or playing. From an early age I loved to be in the kitchen. I loved baking and cooking. In fact, there’s video evidence of me teaching a cooking class that will never see the light of day. I used to chop up the leftover scraps of bell peppers after my mom cut them for dinner that she was cooking and pretend to be a chef.

I digress.

Bottom line: I love to cook. And bake.

Back to the poppyseed muffins. My mom would buy the box mix and almost always I would be the one who would make them. I remember loving eating them the day after I made them because the tops of the muffins were sticky and I would reheat them in the microwave, cut them in half and slather it with butter. Oh, the joys of childhood. So, when I eventually had to eat a dairy-free, gluten free, absolutely-nothing-fun diet, I wanted to still be able to enjoy childhood treats from time to time.

Enter my gluten free, dairy-free lemon poppyseed bread!

To be completely honest, gluten free breads are never as amazing as those that are filled with gluten. I’m just going to say that. In my experience, they are never as tall and are often more moist. This recipe is the best version of gluten free bread I’ve had. It’s certainly not an incredibly tall loaf, but height doesn’t matter, right? Coming from someone who is 5’2”, the answer is YES.

Moving on!

Here’s the recipe you came here for. And if you’re like me, you probably just scrolled down to the recipe. No hard feelings whatsoever. :)

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

¾ cup almond meal

¼ cup coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

3 eggs

⅓ cup maple syrup

2 TBSP oil (I use avocado)

1 TBSP poppy seeds

Loaf pan

Parchment Paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add eggs, zest from 1 lemon, juice from 1 lemon (I zest the lemon over the bowl, then cut lemon in half and juice it over the bowl), maple syrup and oil. Whisk together. Add poppy seeds and stir. Line a bread pan with parchment paper (must do this--don’t simply grease pan) and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!