Hoppy Poppy Almond Loaf

You have to say it in a dumb voice, because it's a dumb name. I know it is. But it was in my head all day, so I guess the loaf chose its own name.

Recipe:
Bread:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond baking emulsion (it’s what I had; I think you might want to start with half that amount of almond extract and add it to taste)
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Beer syrup:
¼ cup beer, slightly heated
2 tsp. sugar, stirred in until dissolved

Beer glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp. beer, stirred in until smooth

(I know it sounds like a lot of beer, between the syrup and the glaze, but it’s really not.)

Grease and flour a standard loaf pan. Seriously, don’t just spray it – grease and flour the sucker to high heaven. Otherwise, this happens:




Beat the butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat mixture for about 3-4 minutes. Add extracts and poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When loaf is done, pour beer glaze evenly over. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes in pan, then run a knife around the edges, unmold, and cool completely on a cooling rack. After cooling completely, drizzle glaze over loaf. Let set for about an hour, if desired.

(If you'd rather avoid the beer, you can omit the beer syrup, and substitute milk for the beer in the glaze. It'll still be yummy.)



The most delicious way I can imagine to flunk a variety of abused-substances tests.