Delicious Almond Bread

The secret to this bread machine loaf is eight whole ounces of almond paste pre-sliced and folded into the dough. As the machine kneads, the paste breaks down into hundreds of marzipan-like pockets distributed through the bread, giving every slice that distinct sweet-bitter almond flavor without needing extract or oil.

Slicing the almond paste before adding it (rather than dropping it in as a single block) is the small step that makes everything work. Whole blocks of paste won’t break down evenly during the knead cycle, leaving you with a few sweet lumps and a lot of plain dough.

The dark corn syrup brushed over the warm loaf is the move that takes this from a sweet bread to a glazed treat. The syrup mixed with warm water creates a thin lacquer that grabs the slivered almonds and holds them in place, then a few minutes back in the warm machine dries the glaze to a glossy finish.

Pro Tips

• Use all-purpose flour, not bread flour, the lower protein gives a softer cake-like crumb that suits the sweet almond paste
• Soften the butter to room temperature before adding, cold chunks don’t blend evenly and leave streaks
• Run the quick cycle if your machine has one, the long cycle over-proofs this enriched dough and the loaf collapses
• Use the light crust setting, the sugar in the dough already encourages browning and dark crust burns the almond paste
• Slice with a serrated knife, the sticky almond pockets gum up a regular blade

Variations

• Stir ½ teaspoon of almond extract into the milk for an even more pronounced marzipan flavor
• Add ⅓ cup of dried cherries or chopped dried apricots for fruit-and-nut character
• Brush the warm loaf with a thin lemon glaze instead of corn syrup for a Scandinavian almond-cake feel