Christmas Bread
I personally look forward to the time between Thanksgiving and New Years with such anticipation. The weather cools down and with it, the food transforms into savory dishes of root vegetables, roasted meats, and rich pickled and chutney preserves that make you feel warm and cozy. But by far my favorite thing to look forward to is Christmas Bread. It is an Erro family tradition that we have made every year for as long as I can remember.
What is Christmas Bread?
Christmas bread is a bread that is baked during the holidays that usually contains some sort of dried or candied citrus peel, fruits, or raisins. The bread is generally made with wheat flour and enriched with butter and milk. Extra flavor is added to the dough with peel zest and rum. Once the bread is baked it is often covered in confectioners sugar and served with butter. It is a lightly sweet white bread that pairs great with coffee or tea. It is absolutely perfect on a Christmas morning.
The history of Christmas Bread
Christmas bread of various varieties have been baked during the holidays since the 15th century. The most famous of which was the Dresden Christmas bread that was ordered by Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony, King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania for a festival called Zeithainer Lustlager. He ordered the bakers guild of Dresden to make a 1.7 ton loaf of Christmas bread so that all of the town folks could have a portion. Now we will not be making anything nearly as large as that, but it is in that spirit of giving and festivities that we enjoy this special food.
How to make Christmas Bread
Below is an overview of the steps that are explained in more detail in the recipe. Here I will try to give you helpful tips and items that will help you have confidence that you are doing the steps correctly.
Starting The Liquid
First things first, you will need to collect all of your ingredients. By far the thing that I have the most trouble collecting is the citrus peel mix. However, a handier person than I am can probably make the stuff. It is easiest to pop down to the local grocery store around the end of November or the beginning of December and pick up a container of citrus peel mix. You can also order online from Walmart or even Amazon.
Next, you want to mix the dried fruits, nuts, citrus peel mix, and rum. I usually chop up the dried fruits a little bit. This keeps the size of the pieces about the same size and ensures that you won't get a big bite full of dried dark cherry. Soak this for an hour or overnight. Drain the mix reserving the liquid. I just put a strainer over a bowl and let it sit while I get the yeast ready.
By starting the yeast in a separate bowl, you can see if your yeast is active or not. Just heat up a 1/4 cup of water. I use our electric tea kettle and only run it for a little while. You can use a thermometer to test the temp of your finger. You want the water to be about 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. This feels warm to the touch but not so warm that you are afraid of burning yourself or taking a drink. Add a pinch of sugar to the water, this helps the yeast to activate. Then add the yeast. Put this in a warm, draft-free spot like the microwave. Do not microwave the yeast! It should be ready in about 5 mins and look like this.
While the yeast is becoming active, Heat the milk, sugar, and salt on the stove. This only takes a few minutes. Again you only want the milk about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add in the reserved rum, almond extract, and a teaspoon of grated lemon peel. I use a zester. Pro tip, if you grate the lemon upside down, then you can see how much you have grated, this allows you to see how much you are making before you add it to your mixture. See the photo below.
Lastly, you are going to want to add in the yeast mixture. Make sure that it is foaming and that the liquid is not more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit. You can see in the photo below how foamy the yeast is. Give this all a good stir, dont worry if the foaminess goes away. Now we are ready to make the dough!
Make The dough
Below, I provided images of the dough-making process since several steps might make you wonder what you have gotten yourself into. The whole kneading process takes about 15 minutes. First, Cut up your butter into little chunks. This will help the butter melt into the dough faster and more evenly than a big piece. Also froth up your eggs. I use this little handy frother that you can get from Amazon. You can just use a fork too. Then add the liquid to your flour.
Now you are going to add that milky yeast mixture, to 5 cups of flour. You can use a fork or a dough whisk to mix the dough. The pieces will be really rough and dry. As we mix more ingredients in, the dough will hydrate. Next mix in the frothy eggs. The dough at this point should look really dry and course. Next, take a hand full of the butter chunks and add it to the dough and start kneading. As you knead, the butter will melt and the dough will get wet and sticky. This is expected, but keep adding the butter. If it is feeling too wet and sticky and wild, then you can add a tiny bit of flour and knead it it. You should have an extra cup of flour to add in the kneading process. Just go slow. Keep kneading the dough and you should see it start to clean the sides of the bowl and form an elastic, smooth, ball. See the gallery below to see the process.
Once the dough is mixed, Place it in a buttered rising container. You can use the same bowl that you used to mix it in. Just make sure you can see when it has doubled in size. I use a rising container that I can mark the outside. Once it has doubled in bulk, or about an hour. It is time to make the loaf!
Making The Loaves
Making the loaves is the easiest and most fun part of making Christmas Bread. Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it out on a cutting board an cut in to two equal parts. These will become the two loaves of Christmas Bread. Roll out the first dough until it is roughly a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. If the dough keeps pulling back, wait a few minutes and let it rest in its current shape. After a few minutes, you should find that it will stretch farther and will fight you less.
Once the dough is rolled out, sprinkle half of the fruit mix over the top of the dough. Then roll the dough up, capturing all of the fruit mix on the inside. This is a similar process to making cinnamon rolls. Once the dough is rolled up, transfer it to a baking sheet and brush the top with butter. repeat the process with the second loaf. Place both loaves in a warm draft-free place to rise for an hour. I use the oven with only the oven light on.
Baking The Loaves
The next step should be no surprise to anyone. Pull the loaves out of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once heated, bake the loaves for 45 mins. The outside will be well-browned and firm. If you have a thermometer, you can check the internal temperature is 200 degrees. Once the loaves are baked, take them out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack, and let them completely cool.
Serving
Just before serving, dust the top of the loaves with powdered sugar. This creates a nice presentation for the holidays and adds a little sweetness. You can then slice and toast the pieces. Feel free to top them with whatever you like. My preferred topping is just butter and served with a cup of coffee.
I really hope you enjoy Christmas Bread as much as I do and add this to your family traditions. If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and let me know how it went!
Christmas bread is a lightly sweet white bread that is perfect for the holidays. I pairs well with coffee, tea, eggnog, or other festive drinks. It will last about a week if you can stop yourself from eating it.
- 6 cup Flour (Unbleached Organic Flour)
- 1 cup Milk (any fat content will work, but I use whole milk)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Peel Zest (I use a zester to grate the lemon peel but you may choose to use any fine grater.)
- 2 Eggs (beaten)
- 3/4 cup Butter (This will be cut into 1/4 inch bits. They can also be soften after being cut into pieces.)
- 8 tbsp Butter (Melted)
- 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds (I use blanched slivered almonds, if you enjoy almonds you can add up to a cup)
- 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (any dried fruit can be substituted here)
- 1/4 cup sweet dark cherries (any dried fruit can be substituted here)
- 1 cup Candied Citrus Peel
- 1/2 cup Rum (This can be any kind)
- 4 1/2 tsp Yeast (This usually comes in packages containing 2 1/4 tsp in each. You will need to packages.)
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- Soak the dried fruits
Start by marinating the citrus peel mix, silvered almonds, dried cranberries, and dark sweet cherries in the rum, You can let this soak for one hour up to 24 hours.
- Activate The Yeast
Mix the lukewarm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the yeast and sugar completely dissolve. Then set this bowl in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let this stand for at least 5 mins. At the end of 5 mins, the yeast should be foamy and increased in size. If not, the yeast may be bad and you will need to try again.
- Drain The Fruit
While the yeast is activating, separate the fruit mixture from the rum. Retain the rum liquid, this will be used later in the recipe. Dry the fruits by lining a plate with paper towels. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour to the fruit. Stir this on the paper towel-lined plate until the fruits absorb the four. Set the fruits aside.
- Prepare The Dough Liquids
In a 2 quart sauce pan, combine the milk, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt. Heat the milk mixture to 110-115 degrees, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in the rum mixture, almond extract, and fresh lemon peel zest. Finally add the yeast mixture by gently stirring it in. If the mixture is too warm, it will cook the yeast and your bread will not rise. It should feel very warm to the touch but not so warm that you feel you would be burned. It is okay to let this cool down a bit more if you are concerned. Stir so that the milk does not form a skin. You want a warm mixture to keep the yeast active and happy.
- Make The Dough
Place 5 cups of flour in a large bowl. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour a little bit at a time. Stir the flour with a fork or bread whisk until all of the yeast milk mixture has been added. Then add the beaten eggs.
Finally add in the 3/4 cup softened bits of butter. At this point, it will be best to mix this in with your hand. It is extremely messy but don't be discouraged. push the butter down into the dough with the palm of your hand. Then lift your hand up, fold the dough together and push down again. The dough will start to become sticky as the butter is added. Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of flour over the dough and continue kneading. You can do this twice as needed. Continue kneading the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This generally takes about 10 to 15 mins. The sides of the bowl should be clean and all ingredients should be completely absorbed. - Let The Dough Rise
In a large bowl or container, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of melted butter. You can use the same bowl you have been using but the dough needs room to double in size. Coat the sides of the bowl and then add the dough ball. Turn the dough ball around to completely coat the outside. Then cover the top of the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm draft-free place. The warmer the dough is, the faster it will rise. The slower the rise, the more rich the dough will taste. The dough should double in size in two hours. Check on the dough after one hour to see how it is progressing.
- Forming The Loaves
One the dough has risen, deflate the dough by patting down the dough into a ball. Then divide the dough into two equally sized pieces and shape them into balls if needed. Cover them with a towel and let them rest for 10 mins. Once rested, Take one dough ball and roll it into a rectangle that is roughly 12x 18 inch and about a 1/2 in thick. Spread half of the fruit mixture evenly over this dough. Taking the longer side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a cylinder, similar to how you would roll up cinnamon rolls. Tapper the ends to trap all of the fruit mixture from falling out. If you think the loaf could be longer, you can place your hands in the center of the loaf and by rocking back and forth, work your hands towards the ends. This should elongate the loaf a little. Once finished, place the loaf on a baking sheet and brush the top and sides with butter. Do the same with the second dough bag. Then place the loaves in a warm draft free place to rise again for 1 hour or doubled in bulk. In an off oven with only the light on is great place.
- Baking The Loaves
Take the loaves out of the oven if that is where you are letting them rise. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using the rack in the middle of the oven, bake the loaves for 45 mins or until golden brown with a nice crust. Once baked, transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Just before serving, dust the top with powder sugar.