I understand the proper usage of how to create a menu from a layout file.
My question is: Is it possible to get properties from a menu file without inflating it?
No, you have to inflate it, to get access to it. For example:
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.my_menu, menu);
View v = menu.findItem(R.id.item).getActionView(); // Get access to a View associated with example item
return true;
}