Orange Poppy Seed Bread

Orange is one of my favorite flavors. It tastes light and satisfying to me. You just can't get offended by its flavor. I'm a hard core chocolate lover, but I love this! This bread is sweet, slightly sticky, and  very moist. The poppy seeds add a nice element to the bread, but can easily be taken out if you don't like them.  A good cup of tea goes beautifully with this bread. It's a very easy recipe to make, and is a great gift too. Serves about 12-16.

Ingredients: 

Zest of one medium sized orange

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup buttermilk, or 1/2 cup milk+ 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar; mix together and let sit for 5 minutes, at room temp.

3 Tablespoons orange juice (reserve leftover juice for glaze)

3 Large eggs, at room temp
1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2/3 Cup of either vegetable, canola, or extra-virgin olive oil

1( or up to 3) Tablespoons of poppy seeds*

1/2 Cup of confectioners' sugar. Also goes by powdered or icing sugar.

Heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour an 8-in loaf pan

1. In a bowl, combine orange zest and sugar, and rub together with your fingers, until it looks like wet sand. Whisk in buttermilk, 3 tablespoon orange juice and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients into the batter, then whisk in oil and poppy seeds. 
2. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick  inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-55 minutes. Let cool in pan until warm to touch, then turn out onto a baking rack set over a baking sheet. Turn cake right side up.
3. Whisk together the remaining orange juice and the confectioner's sugar. Poke holed on top of the bread bread, using a regular sized table fork. Use a pastry brush to spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. Cool completely before slicing. Lasts for about 5 days tightly wrapped up in plastic wrap or foil.

Adapted from the New York Times lemon poppy seed pound cake.

* Some people have a hard time digesting poppy seeds. If you have that problem, just let the seeds soak in the buttermilk as it comes to room temp. It's fine to add them into the batter with the buttermilk.