Poppy Seed Bread

This is a great recipe of Kandy P.'s that I have been making since we got married. It makes my husband happy. He especially loves the glaze, so don't leave that part off. And I'll tell you what Kandy told me, "Don't omit the vanilla, butter, or almond extracts. They 'make' the bread." And its true. They do. I like this bread recipe and some others I have on my radar to share with you because they call for oil rather than butter or margarine or Crisco, which can be harder to come by or are often more expensive--at least here where I live.

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/8 cups oil (won't hurt to just put 1 cup)

1 1/2 Tbs poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 tsp butter extract (I have used melted butter in a pinch)

Mix all ingredients, beating 2 minutes with mixer or by hand. Grease and flour 2 8 in loaf pans or 1 bundt pan. Bake at 325F (160C) for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp butter extract

Stir together in sauce pan or microwave until sugar has dissolved. Poke holes in your bread with a fork or skewer. Also run a knife around the edges of your pan. Pour glaze over top and allow to soak in. Remove loaves from pans. Serve or freeze.

I usually freeze the loaf unglazed and just add glaze when we're ready to eat it. We like this as a breakfast bread or dessert. The glaze certainly adds to the sweetness of it. I have been trying to make sure to give you recipes that use very local ingredients. I will say about this recipe that I have to get the extracts and poppy seeds from the US or a larger city that has more imported items. They are some of those things I just always stock up on when given the chance or when someone comes to visit!