Lemon Poppy Seed Braid

The rich aroma of bread baking in the oven never fails to solicit a positive comment from family members coming home for the day. It imparts good memories and warmth of home. Almost everyone loves a fresh loaf of this wholesome goodness.

When I was in middle school, we had a Canadian neighbor who loved to bake and there was always such wonderful aromas coming from her kitchen. Mrs. D made delicious cakes and breads. I was most captivated by her poppy seed braid and asked her to teach me how to make it. She kindly obliged, and so one afternoon I went over to her house for my first lesson in bread making. Of course, I was treated to some delicious cake before lesson started. Mom is a great cook but seldom baked and so was pleased. I had to stand on a step stool to do the kneading. Mrs. D even gave me some fresh yeast so that I could make my own loaf at home, which I did the very next day.

I don't remember Mrs. D's recipe as it was such a long time ago. It must have been written on a scrap of paper that got lost while I was busy growing up and forgot about bread making for a long while. It had poppy seeds sprinkled on the top of it. This is my version with Meyers lemons that are in abundance at the stores right now. The bread turned out beautifully with a golden crust and a moist and tender inside. Ro-Ri San and the boys loved it so much that I had to do an encore two days later. Adding lemon to the low-fat milk is like using buttermilk and I guess that is why the bread is so tender and flavorful. I am sure this will make Mrs. D proud.


Ro-Ri's Lemon Poppy Seed Braid
1¼ cup low fat milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
3½ cups unbleached white bread flour
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp rapid rise dry yeast
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp lemon zest
egg wash

Pour milk into bread machine pan. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle flour over. Add 1 tbsp poppy seeds and lemon zest. Place butter, sugar, and salt in separate corners of bread pan. Make a shallow indentation in the middle of flour and add yeast. Snap bread pan into bread machine and close lid. Set bread machine to dough setting. Press the start button.

Lightly oil a baking sheet. When dough cycle is complete, remove dough from machine and place it on a lightly floured surface. Punch down gently and divide dough into 3 equal sections. Roll sections into 14 to 15 inch ropes. If it is too sticky, lightly flour it. Place on baking sheet and braid the three sections like braiding hair. Press the ends together and tuck under. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until double in size.

Preheat oven to 400?F. Brush braid with egg wash. Sprinkle 1 tbsp poppy seed over braid. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.




I like it warm with some butter or marmalade and a cup of tea.

It's amazing dipped in soup.....cream of asparagus soup.



Enjoy.....and have a wonderful day!