Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Glaze

This is one of my favorite recipes. Every time I make it I am asked for the recipe. Now I can just tell everyone that the recipe is on my blog! The photo shows a large loaf. The recipe makes 2 of these. Sometimes, I make 3 or 4 smaller loaves, instead. When you poke the holes in the bread, make sure you poke lots and lots of them. It takes some patience. This is a good job for kits- and then you just have to poke holes where they missed! I got the recipe from the friend of a friend who got it from a magazine, but I'm not sure what magazine it was. Enjoy!


Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Glaze
(makes 2-3 loaves)

3 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp finely grated orange peel

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 tsp almond extract
1 2/3 cups whole milk
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Butter and flour (2) 9x5x3" metal loaf pans (or 3-4 smaller pans). Bring 1 cup sugar, orange juice and orange peel to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Set orange glaze aside to cool.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 1/3 cups sugar, oil eggs and almond extract in large bowl until pale, yellow and thick- about 5 minutes. Beat dry ingredients into sugar mixture in 4 additions alternately with milk in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean- about 1 hr. Transfer pans to a cooling rack. Do not remove from pans. Using slender wooden skewer, poke holes in bread. Gradually spoon or brush glaze over warm bread in pans, allowing glaze to be absorbed after eatch addition. Allow bread to cool completely in pans. Remove from pans and slice.