Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grease your loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray and lightly dust with flour, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Pro tip: Lining the pan with parchment ensures your loaf slides out perfectly without sticking.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.

Make sure the ingredients are evenly combined—this helps the loaf rise evenly.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.

Pro tip: Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure everything is fully incorporated.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.

Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Pro tip: Mix just until combined—overmixing can make the bread dense.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula.

Mix until just combined; it’s okay if a few small flour streaks remain.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Pro tip: Check at 45 minutes—ovens vary, and you don’t want to overbake.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

If using the glaze, mix powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth and drizzle over the cooled loaf.

Allow glaze to set for 10–15 minutes before slicing.