Lemon Poppy Seed Mandelbread
YAY! Mandelbread! Or mandel bread! Or mandelbrot! The Jewish version of the Italian biscotti. Or biscotto.
But these lemon poppy seed mandelbread are not biscotti. Because, unlike biscotti, which are thin and are baked and re-baked until crispy and crunchy and dry, these mandelbread are thicker and are soft and tender and will practically melt-in-your-mouth.
And will definitely melt within seconds if you dip one into a hot coffee or tea. Like 3 seconds. And about 12 seconds if the mandelbread is dunked into a cold glass of milk.
Also. Mandelbread = WAY less baking time than biscotti. And easier on the molars. Mandelbread coming in hotttttt.
Now. If you grew up with mandelbread, those mandelbread probably contained some variation of chocolate chips and nuts and dried fruit. The classic mandelbread add-ins.
Not these. These mandelbread skip those classic add-ins and boast teeny, woodsy poppy seeds and fresh, bright, tangy lemon flavor instead.
What I’m saying is, being the tender, flavorful, uncommon, perfect-tea-accompaniment cookies that they are, these lemon poppy seed mandelbread may just become your newest countertop staple.
Outta here, Craisins and almonds and chocolate chips. Commere, lemon poppy seed goodness.
And also. These lemon poppy mandelbread are suuuuper easy to whip up. Maybe because there’s no actual whipping involved. These mandelbread contain oil instead of butter, making them dairy-free and a one-bowl recipe with no machine involved.
You basically just mix together the wet ingredients, add in the dry, shape the loose dough into two logs (wet yo hands, people, or the dough will stick like cray), bake the logs for 20 minutes, slice the logs into mandelbread, place the tray back into to the oven for bout 5 minutes, and they’re done.
And then the poppy seed mandelbread are glazed, if you’d like. Which we shall get to in a second.
Easy. Simple. Quick. And so much fancier than regular cookies, knowhatimsaying.
So, the glaze.
It’s confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and water. Das it.
Whisk it together, drizzle it (or just dunk the mandelbread into it) over the cooled mandelbread, and you’ve got yourself a new level of tart lemon flavor with each tender bite.
Yes, the lemon glaze is an extra step. Yes, it’s highly recommended if you’re after that burst of bright lemon tang. Yes, it can be omitted if you’re pressed for time or lazy or not into glazes in general.
So delicate and airy and soft and tender and melt-in-your-mouth and easy and packed with lemon flavor and studded with poppy seeds and such a nice, unique variation of your classic mandelbread, these lemon poppy seed mandelbread are.
Get out a bowl. Turn on your kettle. Turn on your oven. Cuz you’re making these mandelbread. And tea. Thank me later.
Lemon Poppy Seed Mandelbread
Yield: 25-30 mandelbread
1 cup oil (canola, vegetable)
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of one large lemon
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ¼ cups packed flour
5 teaspoons poppy seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and extracts until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the flour, poppy seeds, and salt over the wet ingredients and stir everything together until just combined. The dough will be loose and slightly wet.
4. Drop the dough into 2 portions spaced out on the prepared baking sheet. Wet your hands and shape the portions into logs that are about 12x6”.
5. Bake logs for 20 minutes and then remove sheet from the oven. Slice logs into mandelbread of desired thickness. Place the mandelbread cut side up onto the sheet. Return sheet to the oven and bake mandelbread until the tops and bottoms are just golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Let the mandelbread cool before glazing.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until a thick yet pourable consistency forms. Drizzle glaze over the cooled mandelbread.
