Lemon Poppy Bread

1 stick butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for greasing

2 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ tablespoons grated lemon zest

¼ cup poppy seeds

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with softened butter and dust with flour.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds until distributed evenly.

Whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice, milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix; it's OK if the batter is not perfectly smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost entirely clean. Cool the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, and then carefully turn it upside down to release the loaf. Serve warm or at room temperature or wrap it in plastic and keep at room temperature for a couple days.

Makes 1 loaf, about 8 servings

Nutrition values per serving: 366 calories (37.3 percent from fat), 15.2 g fat (8.1 g saturated fat), 52.6 g carbohydrates, 26.3 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein, 48 mg cholesterol, 261 mg sodium.

Text excerpted from How To Bake Everything © 2016 by Mark Bittman. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.