Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then add the poppy seeds and whisk the ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, juice, and zest. Let sit for 5 minutes.
To the milk mixture add the eggs, melted butter, oil, and extracts and whisk to combine.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a silicone spatula until only just combined. Do not over mix - some streaks of flour are fine.
Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until golden brown on the top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Leave to cool in the pan, then turn out onto a serving plate or platter.
To make the Lemon Glaze
Mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth. If the glaze is too thin add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick add more lemon juice to get the right consistency for a drizzly glaze.
Pour the glaze evenly over the cooled lemon poppy seed loaf. Let sit until the glaze firms up, 5-8 minutes.
Notes
Poppy seeds are considered safe to eat when consumed in small amounts such as the quantities found in this recipe or bagels, muffins, etc.
Choose food-grade poppy seeds labeled for human consumption.
If you are unsure how long you’ve had poppy seeds in your cupboard then it’s best not to use them and buy fresh to make this recipe.
It's best to use a Microplane to grate the lemon zest. It creates a finer zest and removes only the outermost layer, leaving behind the bitter pith.
It’s important to wait 5 minutes after adding the lemon juice and zest to the whole milk as this process turns it into buttermilk. This will make this loaf extra moist and delicious.
Make sure to use the folding method when mixing the wet ingredients into the dry. Over-mixing will make the crumb tough.
If you glaze the loaf while it’s still warm the glaze will melt into it instead of sitting on top and hardening.
This lemon poppy seed loaf can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Or individually wrap slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe can be converted to make 12 large lemon poppy seed muffins: Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake in a 400ºF (200ºC) oven for around 12 minutes or until muffins are risen and golden.