The Ultimate Orange and Poppyseed Muffins

Orange and poppyseed is a classic baking combination, but far too often I find it rests on its laurels!

Far from the succulent citrus sensations they should be, store-bought orange and poppyseed muffins are almost always dry, bland buttercakes riddled with fruit concentrate. You may find a sprinkling of poppyseeds throughout the mixture, but never enough to affect, let alone enhance, the taste or the texture.

My dears, don't waste the coins or the calories eating mediocre, over-processed junk. Set aside half an hour to create your own batch of the the most luscious, wholesome orange and poppyseed muffins!

What makes this recipe so special, is that it uses the whole orange - rind, pith and all! Add lashings of poppyseeds, low fat yoghurt and the quintessential wholemeal flour and it really is a heavenly, healthy take on a vintage classic.

Health Benefits:

It's no secret that oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C - one of the body's primary antioxidants - but just one orange supplies a whopping 116.2% of your recommended daily intake of the vitamin. Oranges contain super high levels of phytonutrients and flavenoids, the most important of which is herperidin - shown to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol. Ironically, this vital nutrient is found in the peel and inner white pulp of the orange - the parts we generally throw away. In these muffins, we use the whole orange, thereby harnessing all those goodies! Furthermore, a 2003 CSIRO report all showed that, out of all fruits, citrus offers the most significant protection against mouth, larynx, pharynx and stomach cancers. For these cancers, studies showed risk reductions of 40 - 50%.

Poppy seeds are packed with a variety of of minerals, including high levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium.
They're also full of essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 which maintain healthy brain and cardiovascular function, and promote glowing skin and glossy hair!

INGREDIENTS:

For this one you'll need a saucepan and an electric blender or food processor.

2 large oranges (preferably naval)
1 lemon
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
2/3 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tspn ground cardamom
1 tspn cinnamon
2 1/2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup low fat vanilla yoghurt

Preheat oven to 190ºC.

Place one of the oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the pan on the stove and heat slowly until the water reaches boiling point. When the water has boiled, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and let the orange cook slowly over the heat for 45 minutes. When the orange is soft, remove it from the pot and let it drain and cool. This process will make sure there's no bitterness left in the pith.

While the cooked orange cools, prepare the rest of the citrus ingredients. Grate all the zest (rind) from the fresh orange and lemon until the white of the pith is visible and set it aside. Then, juice the whole orange and half of the lemon. I use an electric squeezer, but you can easily do it by hand. Set the juice aside.

Once the orange has cooled, slice it in half and remove any visible pips. Then place both halves in a food processor and blend until the orange has turned into a puree.

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients, including poppy seeds and zest, and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yoghurt, orange juice, lemon juice and orange puree. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix!

Spoon mixture into patty pans, heaping the mixture above the rims of each. You can load these ones a little more than usual because they'll rise into great, crisp muffin tops. Sprinkle some extra white sugar across the tops of each muffin. This will help give the top of the muffin a golden crunch.

Place in a fan-forced oven at 190 Degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the muffin has a slight spring to the touch.

Voila! Perfect orange and poppy seed muffins for brekky or mid-morning coffee break!