So the first year my husband and I were married, my sister-in-law Stephanie gave us a little box of homemade Christmas candy and I loved it. I also realized that I was suddenly in the realm of Christmas treat-giving. How grown-up. Turns out, however, that candy-making is hard and I was too poor to be a toffee failure, so I started making this almond poppy seed bread instead.
Funny story, and then we’ll get cooking. I once made a bunch of these for some people who helped me with a project. After I baked them, they just didn’t seem quite right, but I still delivered them. And never heard the usual “oohs” and “aaahs” that I get from this bread. So I took a bite and something was seriously wrong. And then I remembered that I forgot the oil. So don’t forget the oil, but if you do, don’t feel stupid because I did, too…?
To make the bread, you’re going to need all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, neutral-flavored vegetable oil (like canola or peanut oil), eggs, milk (or buttermilk), poppy seeds, vanilla and almond extracts, and butter flavoring.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 2 large loaf pans (8.5″ x 4.5″ or 9″ x 5″) or 5 mini pans (reusable or disposable if you want to give as gifts.) Place flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl…
and whisk to combine.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine eggs, extracts,
oil, and sugar, and beat for 2 minutes. Alternate adding in flour mixture and milk and then mix until just combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake (35-40 minutes for mini pans, 45-60 minutes for large pans; keep an eye on them).
When done, place on a cooling rack. While they are cooling, prepare the glaze. You’ll need some granulated sugar, orange juice, vanilla and almond extracts, and butter flavoring.
Whisk together the glaze ingredients.
When the loaves are cool, place them on a tray or baking sheet and drizzle the glaze evenly over the loaves. Allow to cool completely; the sugar in the glaze will form a delicious crust on the bread.
If possible, try not to package these in cellophane until ready to deliver because after awhile, the moisture will condense in the bag and the glorious sugary crust on the bread will liquify and soak into the bread. Which, don’t get me wrong, tastes great, but the slightly-crispy texture on top of the soft bread may just be the best part.
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
bread
3 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring (look for it near the vanilla and almond extracts)
1 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
glaze
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 2 standard-size bread pans or 5 mini bread pans. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, and extracts/flavorings and beat for 2 minutes.
Alternate adding in flour mixture and milk and then mix until just combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until just combined.
Pour into prepared pans (5 mini pans or 2 standard bread pans) and bake (35-40 minutes for mini pans, 1 hour for large pans; keep an eye on them). When done, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
While cooling, prepare glaze by combining all glaze ingredients. Drizzle over loaves and allow to harden.
Notes
If possible, try not to package these in cellophane until ready to deliver because after awhile, the moisture will condense in the bag and the glorious sugary crust on the bread will liquify and soak into the bread. Which, don’t get me wrong, tastes great, but the slightly-crispy texture on top of the soft bread may just be the best part.
