Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a standard size muffin pan with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine the poppy seeds and milk and let stand for 20 minutes.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the granulated sugar, butter, orange juice, and milk-poppy seed mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until ingredients are moist and no flour pockets appear in the batter (avoid over mixing).
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about three-fourths full1. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with little crumbs. Let muffins cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
I like to use an ice cream scoop for this step. It scoops the perfect amount of batter for each muffin.
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To make mini muffins, bake 12 minutes. Yields 36 mini muffins.
Glaze: To make the glaze, in a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Drizzle over the tops of the muffins and serve.