Bread, something that is in every shopping cart, and always sitting on a kitchen counter. Enjoyable any month of any year, and especially during the holidays. This article is jam-packed with knead-to-know breads especially with so many beloved holidays just around the corner!

1. Glazed Cranberry Swirl Loaf

Glazed Cranberry Swirl Loaf is a sweet bread made from cranberries, orange zest, and topped off with a generous glaze. The swirl aspect comes from perfectly cut slices made to show the rivulets of cranberry inside. Served by itself or with a meal. This bread is popular during Christmas in the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Perfect to bring to the numerous family gatherings, and just enough to get your mouth watering by the smell.

2. Christmas Stollen

Stollen is a popular Christmas bread made from flour, raisins, and topped with delicious fruits and nuts. Coated in powdered sugar, and served in thick loaves. This bread is immensely popular in Germany, and its roots come from the city of Dresden. According to Bäckerei Gnauck, a German bakery established in 1919, it was created in 1427 by the Saxon Royal Court. As a tradition, the Stollen Bakers would deliver one or two loaves of bread weighing nearly 36 pounds to the palace for the Holy Celebration. While this tradition ended in 1918 with the fall of the monarchy, many Stollen bakers created new traditions and have secured them as a staple of the holiday season.

3. Buñuelos

Buñuelos is a traditional bread found in Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and many other countries. In Mexico, Buñuelos are fried flour tortillas topped with sugar. In Colombia, Buñuelos are a fried cheese fritter served around the holiday season. In the Dominican Republic, Buñuelos are rolled into balls made from a dough called cassava and then coated in sweet cinnamon syrup. Sweet or savory, this bread is the perfect accompaniment to the holidays.

4. Challah

Challah is a braided bread eaten on Shabbat and many other Jewish holidays. According to a forum conducted by Duke University, after the bread is made, the baker blesses it and takes a piece to be used as an offering. It is a tradition observed whenever someone makes Challah and is a process both for the physical and spiritual. The bread itself is beautiful, painstakingly wrapped into gorgeous designs. The bread is simple to make, requiring basic ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs, and a small amount of honey.

5. Panettone

Panettone is a traditional Italian sweet bread made from fruits, raisins, and orange zest. This bread is an essential part of the holidays for many families around the world. Many folk tales surround the origins of the bread. Some say it’s a love story between a nobleman and a poor baker’s daughter. While others say that it came from a young baker named Toni who helped create a dessert when the Royal Court had nothing to serve to its guests. Almost 80 million pounds are produced in Italy during the holiday season. This bread is one to check out and make, the perfect combination of sweets and bread.

Are there any breads that your family makes or that you enjoy during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments below!

Sources:

15 Traditional Christmas and Holiday Bread Recipes From Around The World. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g29989815/christmas-breads/

Dresden Stollen – Germanfoods.org. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://germanfoods.org/recipes/dresdner-stollen/

Food for Thought. (2016). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.usfca.edu/news/food-thought

Gotskind, A. (2019). Wellness and the Ritual of Baking Challah – Research Blog. Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://researchblog.duke.edu/2019/11/20/wellness-and-the-ritual-of-baking-challah/

(haftungsbeschränkt), B. (2021). History – Bäckerei & Konditorei Gnauck. Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.stollen-online.de/dresdnerstollen/geschichte-eng.htm

The Donut. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Donut/GwiAAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover

The Legend of Panettone. (2007). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from http://www.iitaly.org/magazine/focus/life-people/article/legend-panettone

Pictures:

27 Holiday Loaves and Christmas Bread Recipes. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.31daily.com/holiday-loaves-christmas-bread/

Braided Challah Loaves. (2020). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.lodgecastiron.com/recipe/braided-challah-loaves

Cranberry Swirl Loaf. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cranberry-swirl-loaf/

The Ultimate Stollen Recipe from The Great British Bake Off. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.thespruceeats.com/christmas-stollen-from-brendan-lynch-435063

S., D. (2020). Mexican Buñuelos (Vegan). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://dorastable.com/mexican-bunuelos-vegan/

What Is Panettone?. (2021). Retrieved 18 December 2021, from https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-panettone/

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