Tag-Archive for ◊ poppy seed ◊

19 Jun 2011 Bloomin’ Onion Bread

You know how you read a recipe and you just KNOW it’s going to be good?  This was one of those recipes, a Sourdough bread round, cheese, butter, green onions and a sprinkling of poppy seeds, baked.  What’s not to like? I saw a picture of this delicious concoction on Foodgawker last week and immediately clicked to read the recipe at The Girl Who Ate Everything and The Changing Table. How I held off making it for three days, I just don’t know.  I am glad I didn’t wait any longer though!

The Bloomin’ Onion Bread was a showstopper; I was thrilled with it, and my nine guests couldn’t wait to tear into it.   Everyone thought it was delicious.  I served it with Bourbon-Brown Sugar Flank Steak (which was horrible), broccoli, a lovely salad, and fresh watermelon.  Quite an easy Summer BBQ.  Pity about the flank steak though.  That was another recipe that I thought would be great: marinate a flank steak in dark brown sugar and bourbon and then grill it.  What’s not to like?  Well, brown sugar on steak for starters.  The steak ended up being sweeter than the Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting that I served for dessert.  Why that recipe for the horrible flank steak was posted I just don’t know.  There were even comments posted about liking the steak!

Anyway, here’s a recipe for a side dish that does work, that is delicious, and looks lovely on the table.  Enjoy!

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

  • 1 unsliced  sourdough round (I bought mine at Le Boulanger)
  • 12 16 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced (12 oz. is plenty, 16 oz. would be a bit over-the-top, I think))
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup finely diced green onion
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. The top of the bread  should look like a checkerboard. Cutting the second way can be a bit tricky, but the bread is very forgiving, and if you have a nice sharp knife it’s not so bad.
  3. Place the cut bread onto a piece of  foil on a baking sheet.
  4. Insert cheese slices between cuts, both lengthwise and widthwise (a good job for a young family member or a guest that arrives early).
  5. Combine melted butter, chopped green onion onion, and poppy seeds in a small bowl or pitcher. Drizzle evenly over stuffed bread.
  6. Wrap the bread in the foil.  You will probably need a second piece of foil to cover the of the top.
  7. Place the wrapped bread on the baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake  for 15 minutes.
  8. Unwrap the bread (I just took the foil off the top)  and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
  9. Serve immediately.  Place a serrated knife on the serving plate,  which would be helpful for cutting hunks of bread off of the loaf to place on individual plates. I didn’t do this,  the cretins at my table didn’t seem to mind, but you might have civilized folk at your table…

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.  Stop by again, and I’ll post my easiest recipe for BBQ flank steak, one I have been using for 20 years, and it’s always well received.  Be sure to subscribe if you’d  like to receive a notification when a new recipe posts. To scroll through the recipes already posted, just click the “In the Kitchen With Polly” logo on the very top left hand side of the page.  Enjoy!

31 Jan 2010 Lemon-Poppy Seed Bread

“Bread” isn’t quite the right word for this. Yes, the batter is baked in loaf pans, but it has a finer texture than a quick bread, it’s really more of a cake, a cake that doesn’t need frosting. I like the strong lemon flavor of this bread and the slight crunch and the appealing look of the poppy seeds. I served cubes of this bread to dip in the chocolate fondue, but was also very pleased to have it on hand to serve to a friend who stopped by for a cup of tea and some girl-talk. The rest of the bread was devoured for breakfast. The loaves stayed moist for as long as it took us to eat (about 4 days). If you have a lemon tree, or a neighbor with a lemon tree, you’ll be pleased to know this bread is made with three large lemons. I usually bake 4 mini loaves (because I have a wonderful 4 loaf pan), but the original recipe specified baking in 2 9 x 5 loaf pans (one for you and one for the neighbor with the lemon tree). If desired extra loaves can be wrapped in foil and frozen for up to a month.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

3 large lemons (you’ll need the zest and the juice)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar (divided use)
4 eggs at room temperature
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk (or buttermilk or sour milk)
1/4 cup sour cream (can substitute yogurt)
3 T. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare two 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans, or 4 mini loaf pans by buttering and flouring or by spraying with Pam for Baking. Finely grate the zest from the lemons. You’ll need 3 T. Squeeze the lemons for their juice. You’ll need 1/2 cup plus 1T. Set the lemon juice aside. With an electric mixer cream the butter with 2 cups of the sugar and all the lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix flour, salt and baking powder together in another bowl, and the milk and the sour cream or yogurt in a third bowl. Add the eggs into the butter-sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce mixer speed to low. Beat in one-third of flour mixture, then one-half of milk mixture, then one-third of flour, then one-half of milk mixture, then one-third of flour mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. Gently stir in poppy seeds and one tablespoon of the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Evenly divide batter between prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes (45 minutes for mini-loaves). While loaves are baking, combine reserved 1/2 cup lemon juice with remaining 1/2 cup sugar, stirring until combined. Remove pan from oven and immediately brush top with lemon mixture. Let loaves cool in rack in pans for 15 minutes, then removed from pans. Pierce loaves all over one side with long skewer, brush with lemon mixture. Repeat on all sides, and top and bottom, until all lemon mixture has been used. Cool loaves completely. Wrap in waxed paper and store in airtight container at room temperature.

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly