For many people in France, there is often quite a bit of confusion when they see this (as well as any other type of quick breads) labeled as bread. In french, quick breads are labeled as “cake”. Yes, they stole the word cake from us, but used it for something that isn’t really cake. No, they don’t call cake “cake”, why would they do that? That’s called “gâteau”. Makes perfect sense right?
To be frank, this actually happens quite often and as time goes on, is happening more and more. There is an English comedian in France named Paul Taylor, who has an entire show, pointing out all the crazy things that Anglos think the French do, including les bises (kisses on the cheeks), the complexities of quitting your job in France, etc etc. But one of my favorite snippets of his show are about the Anglicisms in French which you can watch here.
Anyways, whether we call it cake or bread, it is pretty darn tasty. I would have to say that one of the few things that I do miss about the States, is the ability to get poppy seed anything almost everywhere you go. It used to be my go-to snack. Like those Almond Poppy Seed muffins from Costco? *groan* Yes, I know that the amount of sugar in Costco muffins is crazy but, oh boy, aren’t they good?
This is so easy, it can be thrown together in about 15 minutes. Depending on the almond extract that you can get, you may have to adjust the quantity in the recipe. I noticed that the amount I needed varied with the brand that I used, but as many of you are not in France, you’ll just have to play it by ear, or tongue I suppose 😉 .
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Equipment
- Bread Pan
Ingredients
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
- 113 g Butter, softened
- 200 g Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tsp Almond Extract
- 3 Eggs
- 160 g All-purpose flour, (type 45)
- 2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 120 g Sour Cream
- 60 ml Milk
- 55 g Sliced Almonds, optional
Vanilla Glaze
- 100 g Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbsp Milk
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
- Preheat the oven to 175°c (350°c). Butter and flour the bread pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Stir briefly, then set aside.
- Then measure out the milk and sour cream and mix until it is combined and there are no chunks.
- In the bowl of a mixer equipped with the paddle, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one by one, scrapping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Mix until thoroughly combined. Then add both of the extracts.
- Add the dry and wet mixtures in three additions, alternating between the two, ending with liquid. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it one last mix, before pouring into the loaf pan.
- Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top of the batter and put into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. You may need to cover the loaf pan if the bread is browning too much prior to it being thoroughly cooked.
- Once done, let cool for 30 minutes, before removing from the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for another 10 minutes while you make the glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Drizzle on top of the loaf as desired.
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