Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Homemade almond poppy seed bread is a buttery quick bread that tastes like Christmas morning married a birthday party. Similar in texture to a pound cake, this delightful bread can be easily sliced and served as a special part of any festive brunch.
My daughter and I agree: The smell of almond extract is like Christmas in a bottle.
Few things smell as heavenly as an almond flavored treat baking in our oven.
I'm always on the hunt for an easy Christmas breakfast idea and as much as I love muffins, quick breads are so much easier to make ahead.
You can wrap a single quick bread in foil and pop it in your freezer and it will take up a lot less space than a batch of muffins would. Simply defrost in your fridge overnight and have a fresh breakfast treat ready to go with no effort on Christmas morning.
In fact, you could bake ahead a variety of quick breads like banana zucchini bread and our freezer-friendly pumpkin bread, serve them with hot cocoa and some fresh fruit for a super-easy Christmas morning buffet.
Why This Recipe Works
- Almond + Vanilla: My daughter took one bite and said: "This tastes like a birthday cake in bread form!" The flavor is simple, sweet, and satisfying.
- Easy Prep: There are no fruits or veggies to prep, you simply measure a few easy pantry ingredients and mix them together.
- Buttery Crust: Rub the bread pan in softened butter before adding the batter and it gives the bread an amazing buttery flavor in every bite.
- Easy to Freeze: Once cooled, the bread should easily pop out of the bread pan it was baked in as long as you greased it with butter before baking. This makes freezing it extra-easy.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This easy almond poppy seed quick bread recipe has a short list of ingredients, you likely have most of this in your pantry right now!
- Flour
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sour Cream
- Milk
- Baking powder
- Vanilla & Almond Extracts
- Poppy seeds
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch bread pan with softened butter.
To make sure the poppy seeds are evenly distributed in the bread, whisk them together with the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl:
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add them together and beat on medium-high until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs & extracts: Beat the eggs and vanilla and almond extracts in until they are just incorporated.
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Be sure to really scrape the bottom of the bowl, you don't want any dry pockets of sugar hiding at the bottom.
Add the milk and sour cream and combine until smooth.
Add roughly 1/3 of the reserved flour mixture and beat into the batter on low. This helps prevent a cloud of flour from rising from your mixer bowl.
Add the remaining flour to the mixer and beat until just combined.
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to prevent any dry pockets of flour.
Pour the batter into your prepared bread pan.
Run your spatula down the center of the bread to help even it out.
NOTE: I have found a basic metal bread pan to be the best tool for this recipe. I have a prettier ceramic baking dish with ruffled edges but it tends to burn the outer crust before the inside of the bread is finished baking.
Bake the almond poppy seed bread for 55 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The outer crust will develop a deep golden brown color but the inside could still be very much underdone. You absolutely need to do the toothpick test to be safe.
This is a very thick batter and the center takes a long time to cook properly. If your bread is getting too dark, you can cover it with aluminum foil to help prevent further browning.
If you've greased your baking pan with butter, your quick bread should pop right out easily for serving.
Storage
This quick bread wouldn't last more than a couple days at our house. It is best served warm the day it is baked but keeps well in an airtight container for 2 - 3 days.
To Freeze: Cool the almond poppy seed bread completely, wrap in aluminum foil, and freeze for 3 - 6 months. Simply loosen the wrappings to prevent condensation on the bread and thaw in the fridge overnight.
Top tip
Remember, the batter will be very thick and it takes a long time to bake completely through. Be sure to prick the center with a toothpick to test for doneness.
Easy Breakfast Treats
Looking for a few more ideas to add to your breakfast menu? These delicious baked treats are perfect for a special weekend breakfast or festive brunch:
📖 Recipe
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened (Plus 1 tbsp for greasing the pan)
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub 1 tbsp of softened butter all over the inside of a 9 x 5-inch metal bread pan.
- Whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat together until thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl once or twice as it mixes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix on medium speed until the eggs are smoothly combined with the butter.
- Add the milk and sour cream to the mixing bowl. Combine on medium speed.
- Pour roughly 1/3 of the reserved flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on low speed. This will help prevent a *poof* cloud of flour from flying out of your bowl. Add the remaining flour and mix on low until mostly dampened, then on medium speed until just combined.
- Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to check for any remaining dry pockets of flour that should be mixed in by hand. Then scrape the batter into your prepared bread pan. Smooth it out evenly into all four corners.
- Bake for 50 minutes and check the center of the bread with a toothpick which should come out clean. It is a very thick bread and will likely take up to the full 60 minutes to bake completely but all ovens are different.
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead Tips:
The almond poppy seed bread will keep for 2 - 3 days if stored in an airtight container. You can heat slices on low heat in a toaster to help restore texture. You can freeze a completely cooled quick bread, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Loosen the foil wrapping and defrost in the fridge overnight.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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