Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Pull-Apart Muffins
 
 
Start your morning with a breath of fresh air in the form of a meyer lemon poppy seed pull-apart muffin!
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
For the dough
  • 2¾ cups all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2¼ tsp instant yeast
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup whole milk
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ tsp almond extract
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
For the citrus sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • zest of 2 meyer lemons
  • zest of 1 grapefruit
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the glaze
  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp meyer lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, whisk together 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the water. Allow to cool for 1 minute, and then stir in the almond extract. Pour over the flour mixture and mix until all of the ingredients are moistened. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Add ½ cup flour and mix on low until the dough is smooth.
  3. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. If the dough sticks to the sides of the stand mixer bowl instead of forming a ball on the hook, then add flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it no longer does this.
  4. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
  5. While the dough is rising, mix together the sugar, meyer lemon zest, and grapefruit zest. Set aside.
  6. Once the dough has risen, heat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with baking spray. Set aside.
  7. Gently deflate the dough and then cut it in half, returning one half to the bowl it was just in and covering it with plastic wrap. Cut the half of the dough you're working with into 16 thin pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a thin oblong shape on a lightly floured surface. Each should be about 6 inches long and 3-4 inches wide, but it is okay if they vary slightly in shape and size.
  8. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter over each piece of dough. Sprinkle with half of the citrus sugar.
  9. To make the rolls, take one piece of dough and set it in front of you with the long side facing you. Top with four more pieces of dough. Cut in half width-wise so that you have two ~ 3-inch stacks. Pinch together the edges that were closest to you so that the dough fans out. This will be the bottom of the roll. Place in one cup of the baking tin, arranging the dough slices as desired. Repeat with the remaining dough. Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with any remaining citrus sugar.
  10. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 30-60 minutes.
  11. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls until the tops are golden and they sound hollow when tapped, about 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.
  12. To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, meyer lemon juice, and poppy seeds, adding more milk or lemon juice to taste. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
Notes
Adapted slightly from Seasons and Suppers
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 muffin
Recipe by Joanne Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2015/01/meyer-lemon-poppy-seed-pull-apart-muffins.html