Egg Nog Bread with Rum Glaze

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or or three 3×5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, instant pudding, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and rum and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat to combine. Add eggnog and mix on low speed until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 40 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf.

Meanwhile while the bread is baking, bring granulated sugar, rum, and water to boil in small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Whisk in butter until smooth. Cool rum syrup to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Reserve 5 to 6 tablespoons of syrup to make the glaze. Brush warm bread with remaining rum syrup and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Whisk confectioners’ sugar into 4 tablespoons of reserved rum syrup until smooth. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to 2 tablespoons of rum syrup if the mixture is too stiff. If it is still too stiff add eggnog to mixture one tablespoon at a time until the correct consistency. Pour the glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides.

Let the glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.