Are you looking for the most flavorful dessert for Christmas? Try this delicious Christmas bread full of dried fruits, nuts, and spices, a treat that will surprise your guests for sure.
Among the various dishes for Christmas that make the holiday season such a magical time, I always make Christmas bread. It goes well after a hearty Christmas dinner and blesses it with a fragrant and unique flavor that your guest won’t soon forget.
This bread is terrifical fragrant and has a slightly moist texture. And today, when I am sharing with you this recipe, I am thinking why I am making it only on Christmas. It probably happens because the flavors that invade my house while baking reconnects us to Christmas’s spirit.
Beautifully wrapped, this Christmas bread could serve as a perfect gift for your friends.
This Christmas bread recipe is easy to prepare and is so versatile that you can bake it in various forms. Most of the recipes you could find on blogs have a base cake dough. I don’t know if I have ever told you, but I have a great passion for bakery treats. So to find my ideal recipe, I try to experience a lot. Once I discovered brioche dough, I fell in big love with it.
I just adore the smell of yeast dough. I really like that aroma that could be felt in the air in the kitchen. Nothing could compare to that satisfaction when I see nicely risen dough. And at the end, the joy of something perfect that comes out of the oven.
I am convinced that you will also like this Christmas bread with winter spices and many fruits that you can serve for breakfast, along with a cup of tea or milk, and a good homemade jam. Check our Homemade peach jam or Fragrant raspberry jam.
Brioche:
Brioche is a soft bread with French origins made with eggs and a lot of butter. The recipe is quite simple, but you will find it a bit difficult before you get used to the technique. After the brioche batter is kneaded, it must chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and only then you can start to work with it. Also, before baking, it requires again time to raise in a warm place. But I assure you the result is excellent. It is not too sweet, but it has a great buttery flavor. For me, there is nothing better than this bread for breakfast next to a hot cup of milk.
The main secret of brioche dough lies in using a lot of quality butter. It gives texture, taste, and an irresistible smell. And there is another not less important tip – the kneading process. It does not require much time, but it is better to knead the dough with a stand mixer.
It is challenging to incorporate the butter in the dough, which is already soft and becomes even more sticky and slippery. Traditionally and without a stand mixer, to develop properly the gluten in the dough, it is beaten off on the working surface with fast and firm movements. It is not the simplest thing, with patience and strength, everything is possible. Learn here how to knead the brioche dough without a stand mixer.
Beyond these technical details, brioche deserves all the hard work, waiting, and patience.
How to soak dried/candied fruits for a perfect Christmas Bread?
There are various and versatile recipes for Christmas bread from all around the world. But one thing they all have in common is the candied/dried fruits. Before adding them to the dough, you must soak them. The simplest way is to soak them overnight in still water. If you want to add more flavor, soak fruits in rum or gin. So, in a bowl, combine 1 cup of candied fruit mix with four tablespoons of rum and four tablespoons of water. Leave them to soak at room temperature overnight or at least for 8 hours. While soaking, the fruits will absorb most of the liquid.
Ingredients:
For the best Christmas bread, you will need the following ingredients:
- hard flour – 2 cups – depending on the brand of flour, you may need more;
- eggs 3 and 1 white – cold;
- cold butter – 6 oz – diced in small cubes;
- sugar – 3 tablespoons;
- instant yeast – 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon of fresh yeast;
- salt – 1 teaspoon;
- candied fruits – 1 cup;
- toasted nuts – 1/2 cup;
- rum – 4 tablespoon;
- water – 4 tablespoon;
- vanilla bean – 1.
How to make Christmas Bread?
How to make Christmas Bread?I adore baking different cakes, especially for Christmas. This Christmas bread seems easy to make as you can adjust the taste to your preferences. Either make the filling sweeter or vice versa, the batter. You choose. Also, fill it with anything you desire – candied fruit, raisins, various nuts, poppy seeds, or/and spices (cinnamon, vanilla).
The whole process requires chilled dough, so try not to overheat it while kneading. For the beginning, I advise you to freeze the egg for 10 – 15 minutes directly in the stand mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, swift the flour. Mix in sugar and salt. If you are using dry yeast, mix it also with dry ingredients, otherwise, add fresh yeast directly to the eggs.
Fitt the hook attachment to your mixer. Remove the eggs from the freezer and add flour mixture. Start kneading the dough at low (4) speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium-high(8). Gradually add in small chilled parts of butter. If you add in all the butter at a time, it will not incorporate correctly into the dough.
Continue mixing until the dough forms a smooth, glossy, and plump ball. It should take you about 7-10 minutes. At this point, gently incorporate the soaked (dried of extra liquid) fruits and nuts into the batter using your hands.
Transfer the brioche dough to a bowl, wrap it with plastic wrap, and let rest overnight or until it double in size. If you are chilling it overnight, send it to the refrigerator.
Grease an 8”-x-5” loaf pans with butter and sprinkle it with some brown sugar. Remove brioche dough from the bowl and divide it into three pieces. Roll each of them out into a long rope. The braid them. Transfer the brioche into the prepared pan and leave it proof until doubled in size (1 hour 30 minutes -2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Once you have the dough ready to bake, brush them in egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown color.
Transfer to a cooling rack and let it chill.
Moist and Sweet Christmas Bread
Equipment
- st2and mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups hard flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg white
- 6 oz butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp instant yest
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup candied fruits
- 1/2 cup toasted nuts
- 4 tbsp rum
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine 1 cup of candied fruit mix with four tablespoons of rum and four tablespoons of water. Leave them to soak at room temperature overnight or at least for 8 hours.
- Freeze the egg for 10 - 15 minutes directly in the stand mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, swift the flour. Mix in sugar and salt. If you are using dry yeast, mix it also with dry ingredients, otherwise, add fresh yeast directly to the eggs. Fitt the hook attachment to your mixer. Remove the eggs from the freezer and add flour mixture. Start kneading the dough at low (4) speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium-high(8). Gradually add in small chilled parts of butter. If you add in all the butter at a time, it will not incorporate correctly into the dough.
- Continue mixing until the dough forms a smooth, glossy, and plump ball. It should take you about 7-10 minutes. At this point, gently incorporate the soaked (dried of extra liquid) fruits into the batter using your hands.
- Transfer the brioche dough to a bowl, wrap it with plastic wrap, and let rest overnight or until it double in size.
- Grease an 8”-x-5” loaf pans with butter and sprinkle it with some brown sugar. Remove brioche dough from the bowl and divide it into three pieces. Roll each of them out into a long rope. The braid them. Transfer the brioche into the prepared pan and leave it proof until doubled in size (1 hour 30 minutes -2 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Once you have the dough ready to bake, brush them in egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown color.
Nutrition
