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.
