Poppy Seed Coffee Cake

-POPPY SEED FILLING-
1 Egg white; beaten with 1
-tsp. water
2 tb Sliced almonds

-POPPY SEED FILLING-
3/4 c Poppy seeds
3/4 c Blanched whole almonds
1/2 c Sugar
1/3 c Milk
3/4 ts Grated lemon peel
1 tb Lemon juice
3 tb Margarine

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Blend in milk, salt, sugar, egg
and margarine. Gradually beat in about 2 1/2 cups of the flour to make a
soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured board; knead until smooth and
satiny (5 to 20 minutes), adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place
dough in a greased bowl; turn over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a
warm place until doubled (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Meanwhile, prepare poppy seed
filling. Punch dough down; knead briefly on a lightly floured board to
release air, and roll into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Place on a lightly
greased 14 by 17 inch baking sheet; mark dough to indicate 3 lengthwise
sections. Spread filling in center 1/3 of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 10
diagonal strips in each of the 2 outer sections of dough, cutting in almost
as far as the filling. Overlap strips; first one from right side, then one
from left, alternating until all strips are folded over the filling. If
there is excess dough at the end, tuck it underneath loaf. Brush loaf with
egg white mixture and sprinkle almonds evenly over top. Let rise,
uncovered, in a warm place until almost doubled (about 30 minutes). Bake in
a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until richly browned.
Let cool on a rack.

Poppy seed filling: In a blender or food processor, combine poppy seeds and
whole almonds; whirl until mixture is consistency of cornmeal. In a small
pan, combine seed-nut mixture with sugar, milk, lemon peel, lemon juice and
margarine. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens
(about 10 minutes). Let cool.

Makes 1 large loaf.