Christmas Bread

It’s natural to want to make everything feel that much more special for Christmas. From buying the best eggnog to putting extra effort into the Christmas wrapping, seemingly tiny details add up and make the holiday feel magical. Even something as humble as bread should not be overlooked, and this beautiful Christmas bread, studded with candied fruit and finished with vanilla glaze, definitely will not be overlooked.

Set out this bread for Christmas brunch with coffee or hot chocolate as fortification after opening presents. You could also serve the bread the morning of Christmas Eve, then cut up the leftovers for an epic Christmas French toast. Either way, it makes a stunning start (or midday snack or lighter dessert!) for the holiday season.

Christmas Bread Ingredients

• Yeast: Our recipe calls for active dry yeast, not instant yeast. Be careful when purchasing, as they’re situated right next to each other on grocery store shelves and even packaged similarly.
• Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk is a bit sweeter and richer than regular milk—two characteristics we want from our food on Christmas Day.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is best here to help maintain the bread’s lighter color so the candied fruit can stick out more.
• Shortening: Shortening tends to yield softer, more tender breads than ones made with butter. However, you can use softened butter here if desired.
• Eggs: Baking with room-temperature eggs will yield a better volume and structure for your bread. I usually take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting the recipe.
• All-purpose flour: No need for bread flour here! Our Christmas bread has a perfectly bready yet tender texture thanks to versatile all-purpose flour.
• Candied fruit: We opted for mixed candied fruit here for a festive red and green coloring, but feel free to use just red or green candied fruit. Save some for the topping too!
• Glaze: Our from-scratch vanilla glaze uses simple ingredients you probably already have: milk, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract.

Directions

Step 1: Activate the yeast

In a large bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm water. It should be nice and foamy after 5 to 10 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: This is a very important step, so do not continue the recipe until the mixture foams. If it doesn’t foam, discard it and start over, making sure to temperature-check the water.

Step 2: Make the dough

Add the evaporated milk, sugar, shortening, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour into the large bowl with the yeast mixture. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat everything together until it’s nice and smooth.

Mix in the chopped candied fruit and enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead the dough.

Editor’s Tip: You may not need all the remaining all-purpose flour, so add only 1/2 cup of flour at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

Step 3: Let it rise

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once in the bowl to grease the top. Cover the bowl with storage wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 4: Knead and let it rise again

Use your knuckles to punch down the dough, expelling some of the air from the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for three to four minutes.

Pat the dough evenly into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Cover the dough with storage wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise once more in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°.

Step 5: Bake the bread

Remove the cover from the dough and slide the tube pan into the oven. Bake the bread until it’s golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes, tenting the top with foil if the top becomes too dark.

Remove the bread from the pan to let it cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack.

Step 6: Decorate the bread

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and just enough milk to reach your desired glaze consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the bread, then garnish with additional candied fruit if desired.

Christmas Bread Variations

• Add other mix-ins: Switch up the flavor of the Christmas bread by replacing the candied fruit that’s inside the bread with ingredients like orange zest, raisins, cinnamon, chocolate chips or any other sweet bread mix-ins. Keep the candied fruit for a festive topping!
• Swap in sprinkles for the candied fruit: If candied fruit isn’t your thing, feel free to swap in Christmas sprinkles for a festive Funfetti look inside the bread and on top.

How to Store Christmas Bread

Store Christmas bread at room temperature for up to two days. It must stay covered so the crumb doesn’t dry out. Wrap the bread tightly in storage wrap or store it in an airtight container.

Can you freeze Christmas bread?

Yes, you can freeze Christmas bread. I would wait to decorate the bread with glaze until after freezing and thawing, though. To freeze the bread, allow it to cool to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in two layers of storage wrap and a final layer of foil to protect it against freezer burn. Freeze it for up to two months and thaw it on the counter before decorating and enjoying.

Christmas Bread Tips

Why didn’t my dough rise?

Your dough may not be rising for a few reasons. The first is if you didn’t properly proof the yeast. The water must be hot enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot or it will kill it. You’ll know the yeast has been activated properly when the yeast and water mixture is nice and foamy after 5 to 10 minutes.

Another reason your dough may not be rising is if your kitchen is cold. Dough proofs best in humid environments, so a dry, cold kitchen will inhibit the dough’s proofing. You can help your dough proof by placing it in the oven on an oven rack and setting a bowl of hot water underneath. Close the oven door (do not turn on the oven!) and let your dough rise.

How else can you decorate Christmas bread?

Feel free to omit the vanilla glaze and use a cream cheese glaze, cream cheese frosting or a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar instead. Besides candied fruit, decorate the top with fun Christmas sprinkles, crushed candy canes, sugared cranberries, or alternating drizzles of red and green glaze.

How do you serve Christmas bread?

Serve Christmas bread at room temperature. It’s lovely with a cup of hot tea or coffee, or as a lighter dessert paired with after-dinner drinks like fortified wine or Christmas cocktails.