This is not the picture I intended to use for this recipe, but I’ve had more issues with my brand new phone being sent off & repaired, that I didn’t back it up yet again before they decided to send me a brand new phone to replace the previous one. So far, a couple weeks in & it’s been issue free which is how a new phone should be in the first place. That being said, I managed to snap this one, but don’t let the crappy photo deter you from baking this yummy bread. I had to save myself from myself when it came to this bread. One day I had it for brunch & dinner with nothing else. Yeah, it’s that good.

INGREDIENTS:

for the bread:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsps almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 3 tbsps Poppy seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp butter flavoring
• 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 3 eggs

for the topping:

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp butter flavoring
• 3/4 cup sugar

PREPARATIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 bread pans with non-stick spray; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, & oil until smooth. Stir in the almond & vanilla extract & the butter flavoring. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, & Poppy seeds. Beginning and ending with the milk, alternate adding some of the milk, then flour, stir & repeat. Distribute evenly between the two pans & bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once the bread is finished baking, remove from the pans & transfer to a cooling rack & place parchment paper underneath. I learned the hard way and added the topping while the loaves were still in the pan and then allowed them to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Once I went to remove the bread, the bottom of the loaves stuck to the bottom of the pans. So trust me when I say, boil the topping ingredients on the stove & then pour topping over the loaves after you’ve removed them from the pans. Allow to cool before slicing.