Holiday Baking Recipes

Holidays are a wonderful time to bake bread. This section includes a variety of Holiday bread recipes to give as gifts or to bring to your Holiday celebrations.

Choose from an assortment of Christmas breads such as Panettone, Challah, Stollen, Sweet Breads, Fruited Breads, pull-apart breads and other Holiday baking recipes. You'll also find Easter Bread recipes and other Festive Breads.

Vanocka Christmas Braid

Try some of these Holiday Baking Recipes

If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share, feel free to submit your holiday baking recipes.

Bread Gifts - Giving homemade baked gifts is a very thoughtful way to show you care without having to spend a lot of money.

Candy Cane Holiday Bread - This Candy Cane Bread is drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze and garnished with halved maraschino cherries.

Challah - This holiday baking recipe for challah can be made into a beautiful three or four-strand braid.

Challah - No Knead - Except for the shaping and braiding, this bread only requires a few minutes of effort here and there. It has a pleasant egg and honey taste and a beautiful golden crust.

Chocolate Almond Panettone - This is an easy and tasty holiday baking recipe for Panettone. It is a batter bread that requires no kneading and is baked in coffee cans.

Christmas Stollen - This version is made using a combination of the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes method and the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice) method.

Coffee Cake Recipes - We have a variety of delicious coffee cake recipes for your bread baking enjoyment. Choose from an assortment of regular coffee cakes, streusel and crumb cakes.

Cranberry Breads - Cranberries add beautiful color and tartness to breads. Cranberry breads such as the Cranberry Walnut Celebration Bread (pictured below) make a beautiful presentation for any special occasion.

Easter Breads - We have a variety of Easter Bread holiday baking recipes such as Kulich, Hot Cross Buns, Babka, and other breads.

Festive Breads - Choose from an assortment of muffins, scones, bread pudding, cranberry breads, french toast recipes, harvest breads, holiday breads, pumpkin breads and roll recipes.

Fruit-Filled Pinwheels (Whole Grain) - The dough for these delicious pinwheels is made with a large percentage of whole wheat flour, and is very flavorful with the addition of dried cranberries and orange zest.

Holiday Fruit and Nut Bread (Bread Machine) - This holiday baking recipe is the bread machine version of a traditional holiday bread studded with glistening colorful fruit and topped with snow white frosting.

Holiday Fruit and Nut Bread (Conventional) - The conventional version of a traditional holiday bread studded with glistening colorful fruit and topped with snow white frosting.

Holiday Pull-Apart Bread - Enjoy this pull-apart Holiday bread for a festive breakfast or brunch. Mix and knead the dough the night before and refrigerate until the next morning for easy preparation.

Holiday Stollen (Bread Machine) - The traditional version is packed with golden raisins, currants and mixed citrus peel and is usually spiced and enriched with eggs, butter and milk. This Stollen recipe utilizes the bread machine to make a very festive bread.

Holiday Stollen (Conventional) - The traditional version is packed with golden raisins, currants and mixed citrus peel and is usually spiced and enriched with eggs, butter and milk. This Stollen recipe adds some additional flavorful ingredients to make a very festive bread.

Irish Breads - The traditional bread of Ireland is soda bread. Soda bread can be made with white or whole wheat flour. Try some soda bread or another holiday baking recipe.

Italian Panettone (Bread Machine) - Italian Panettone is a traditional, rich Christmas bread originating in Milan. This bread machine version is from the book "Bread Machine Magic" (Lois Conway & Linda Rehberg).

Julekage (Norwegian Christmas Fruit Bread) - Julekage (yoo-ley-key-yeh) is a popular Norwegian Christmas fruit bread filled with candied fruit, golden raisins and cardamom.

Christmas Kuchen - This beautiful Kaffee Kuchen (German Coffee Cake) is filled with spices and candied fruit. The dough can be twisted into a ring shape or a figure "8".

Kuchen (Red Ribbon Gift Loaf) - Kuchen is the German word for "cake" and is used to describe various types of coffee cakes made with either yeasted doughs or leavened cake batters.

Kuchen (Red Ribbon Gift Loaf) - Step-by-step process for making the Red Ribbon Loaf (German Kuchen).

Multi-Purpose Holiday Bread Recipe - The recipe is a master formula for an all-purpose holiday bread. According to Peter Reinhart, Dresden stollen, Milan panettone, Russian kulich, and English hot cross buns can all be made from this same multipurpose holiday bread formula. The difference is in the shaping...

Panettone - A flavorful Italian Christmas bread made with a sweet dough. The dough is laced with candied fruit that has been soaked in extracts and liquor.

Poppy Seed Challah - This award winning Challah Bread Recipe makes three big beautiful loaves.

Portuguese Sweet Bread - The dough for this Portuguese sweet bread is yeast-leavened and enriched with eggs and butter.

Portuguese Sweet Bread - (step-by-step) - This delicious and flavorful bread utilizes a sponge and include both orange and lemon extract.

Potica - Potica is a very special southern European nut roll recipe. It is rich in flavor and tender in texture.

Pumpkin Breads - Pumpkins, squash, and sweet potatoes can be used in breads for added flavor and texture. Try some of these delicious recipes.

Roll Recipes - We have an assortment of recipes for croissants, crescent rolls, yeast rolls, cloverleaf rolls and even sticky buns.

Scones - A variety of scone recipes to serve for breakfast or brunch or any occasion. Enjoy them with your favorite tea or coffee.

Sweedish Holiday Saffron Buns - These bright-gold saffron buns are easy to make, fun to shape, and make a pretty statement in your Christmas dinner breadbasket.

Traditional Christmas Stollen - This version of Stolen can be made in a fairly reasonable amount of time, about 4 hours from start to finish due to the strong sponge that leavens the dough at a brisk pace.

Stollen

Vanocka Christmas Braid - Beautifully shaped and scrumptious, Vanocka is one of the world’s great breads.  It is traditionally shaped with a four-strand braid, followed with a three-strand braid and topped with a single twist. 

Vanocka Christmas Braid - Step-by-step process for making this beautiful braided Christmas Bread.

Walnut Roll - Favorite Eastern European rich walnut-swirled coffee bread. Traditionally served at Easter and Christmas–wonderful any time.

Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries - Traditional Challah is white egg bread so this version breaks with tradition a little bit by using whole wheat flour, but it is healthier and move flavorful with the addition of cranberries and orange zest.  

Whole Wheat Challah - This version uses a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour to make a beautiful and tender multigrain braid.

Whole Wheat Fruited Hearth Bread - This is a whole wheat version of a fruited hearth bread. The dough can be formed into a braid or in the shape of traditional Panettone bread.

What is Your Favorite Holiday Bread Recipe?

Do you love to bake a special bread? Share your favorite recipe and we'll highlight it on the site for other home bakers to enjoy.

What are your favorite Holiday baking memories?

Do you have a favorite Holiday baking memory? We'd love to here about it. Click here to share your Holiday baking memories.