This lemon yoghurt poppy seed loaf has no wheat flour, no butter, no eggs and no white sugar in it. It’s gluten free and can be made either vegan or vegetarian, depending on the type of yoghurt you use. I’ve made it both ways and both are delicious. In fact, they taste almost the same, although I prefer the texture of the loaf when I make it with soy yoghurt.

There are many studies that now confirm that unhealthy foods and diets are top risk factors for disease worldwide. Therefore, it is more important than ever to make a conscious decision to eat well. Healthy eating is not only important for us, but it’s also important for the environment.

This loaf is great for breakfast with coffee, but you can also have it as a mid-day snack or even dessert after dinner. Made with ground rolled oats, almond flour and sweetened with pure maple syrup, this yoghurt based loaf is lemony, light and moist.

The poppy seeds mixed throughout lend a delicate crunch and mild nutty flavour. Because it’s made with yoghurt, I prefer to eat it chilled.

Lemon yoghurt poppy seed loaf

Oven (standard):  350°F / 180°C

1 non-stick or ceramic loaf pan, lightly greased and floured

Dry ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats (no sugar; no salt added), ground to a powder *
• ½ cup almond flour (ground almonds without peels available in stores)
• 2 heaping teaspoons (tsp) baking powder (one 7 gram packet)
• ¼ cup poppy seeds
• 1 pinch of salt

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup organic soy yoghurt or natural dairy yoghurt (no sugar; no flavours added)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon (tbsp) lemon peel, finely grated
• ½ cup maple syrup

* You can buy oat flour and measure 2 cups of it. However, I prefer to grind the rolled oats in a small blender or NutriBullet. It’s quick, easy and it tastes fresher than the store-bought kind.

Procedure

Make sure that your blender bowl is dry and clean. Grind the rolled oats in your blender or NutriBullet until you obtain a fine powder. This takes no longer than 30 seconds. Transfer the oat flour to a medium-size bowl. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Set aside.

If using soy yoghurt, pour out the small amount of water that you may see at the top of the yoghurt (depending on brand). In a separate medium-size bowl, add the yoghurt and mix in the 1 tsp of baking soda with a fork. Make sure that your bowl isn’t small because the yoghurt will bubble up later. Set this aside.

In a small bowl add the lemon juice, lemon peel and mix with a fork. Then add the maple syrup and mix with a fork until the maple syrup, lemon juice and peels are blended together.

Pour the lemon/maple syrup mixture into the yoghurt mixture. Hand whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Now you will get a lovely bubbly-foamy reaction!  🙂

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk by hand for a few minutes or until the mixture thickens and is well combined.

Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and spread evenly.

Bake on middle rack in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out moist but clean and the top is golden.

Cool on rack. After 20 minutes, loosen the sides by passing a thin dull knife around the loaf edges.

Let it cool completely before slicing and serving.

When cool, wrap the entire loaf in foil and store it in the fridge. It keeps well for many days.