Food & Cooking Recipes Holidays & Events Christmas Recipes 11 Christmas Breads You'll Want to Bake Throughout the Holiday Season Celebrate the season with homemade breads including stollen, panettone, cinnamon buns, gingerbread, and other festive treats. By Marie Viljoen Marie Viljoen Marie Viljoen is a Brooklyn-based food writer and horticultural expert with more than two decades of experience. In addition to her work found in MarthaStewart.com, Marie is the author of Forage, Harvest, Feast - A Wild-Inspired Cuisine and 66 Square Feet - A Delicious Life. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 22, 2024 Close Photo: Con Poulos Christmas bread has a lot of different interpretations. The most traditional iterations involve sugar and spice, and often—but not always—yeast, and ultimately have strong cultural associations and country ties. One thing we can all agree on is that Christmas bread is celebratory, whether or not we observe the holiday. In the spirit of seasonal cravings (as well as good will and sharing!), we gathered our best breads to bake at Christmas, ranging from iconic recipes to festive tear-and-shares—with a flurry of quicker loaves that use baking powder when you don't have time to watch the (yeasted) buns rise for good measure. Martha's Favorite Fruitcake Is a Recipe She Learned from Her Childhood Neighbors 01 of 11 Stollen Densely delicious, stollen is studded with dried fruits and candied citrus peel and fragrant with almonds. This version from Martha's mom is braided, allowing frosting to pool in every decadent crevice. View Recipe 02 of 11 Panettone Bryan Gardner We can't resist buttery panettone (who could eat just one slice?). This iconic Italian sweet bread is made from the ultimate enriched dough. View Recipe 03 of 11 Yeasted Cheese and Sour Cherry Coffee Cake Sure, it's called cake, but it's leavened with yeast and it eats like an enriched breakfast bread, conjuring visions of the best kind of cheese Danish. A filling of sour cherries and cream cheese strikes the perfect balance. View Recipe 04 of 11 Cinnamon Rolls Lennart Weibull Our inviting cinnamon rolls are made extra-fluffy with the addition of mashed potatoes. A cream cheese frosting means that they are essential holiday breakfast food. View Recipe 05 of 11 Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Brie Goldman When you don't have time for yeast, this cinnamon batter makes a very convincing sweet loaf. The cake recipe is quite basic, the streusel topping is wonderfully addictive, and the drizzle of icing makes it extra special. View Recipe 06 of 11 Martha's Sugar Buns These irresistible sugary bread buns are made from a rich sour cream and egg yeasted dough, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and rolled up for baking. They're baked in muffin tins to get their special shape. View Recipe 07 of 11 Challah Challah is a deliciously eggy Jewish bread and symbol of sweet things to come. It's good at any time of year, but especially at Christmas, where it will pair beautifully with cheeses, preserves, and chocolates. View Recipe 08 of 11 Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread Bryan Gardner Who said Christmas bread has to be sweet? This creative recipe turns garlic knots into a tree that's decorated with mini red peppers and bocconcini "ornaments." It will be the talk of the Christmas table! View Recipe 09 of 11 Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Bread Con Poulos It's the holidays! It's okay to be decadent. Chocolate is not paired often enough with evocative cinnamon, and in this decadent filling for a braided, babka-inspired bread, the combination is divine. View Recipe 10 of 11 Brioche à Tête Butter-rich brioche is the purist's breakfast bread. This is just right for a discreet dunk into coffee on Christmas morning, but consider serving it with fresh fruit, whipped cream, good butter, and preserves, too. Any leftovers will make the best French toast, ever. View Recipe 11 of 11 Gingerbread Snacking Cake Singing with spices (the necessary ginger, as well as black pepper and cloves), this molasses-filled gingerbread cake is baked in a cake pan, and ready in just 30 minutes. It's a great treat any time of day, and a particularly special breakfast. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit