Christmas Bread with Cranberries

Homemade Christmas bread, full of cranberries and baked in paper is reminiscent of store-bought panettone, but so much easier to make yourself at home! The ultimate Christmas comfort food, it’s delicious served with a Winter Fruit Tray for a simple breakfast, snack or dinner.

To make this recipe accessible to you no matter how your kitchen is stocked, we’ve included instructions to make the dough in a stand mixer, the bread machine, or by hand. Be sure to order a few decorative paper molds for an elegant presentation.

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• Why Make This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• FAQs & Recipe Costs
• More Great Christmas Recipes
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• Christmas Bread with Cranberries

In college I spent a year in France, often visiting friends who lived in the south of the country. They treated me to all sorts of wonderful Christmas traditions, including the Buche de Noel and the Italian bread called panettone.

A few years after I returned to the States, I started seeing panettone available seasonally in specialty shops. Nowadays even the drugstore sells it.

However, the bright yellow packages can yield some awful tasting bread. This year, rather than waste your money on that imported Christmas bread, make your own!

Why Make This Recipe

Christmas Bread is easier to make than a true panettone. While this Christmas Bread has the fruit and the pretty paper mold, it does not involve the proofing and variety of candied fruit that is in authentic panettone. Consider this a delicious, American knock-off.

It’s incredibly affordable to make! Since this Christmas bread is homemade and dialed down from a true panettone, it’s so much easier on the wallet. Each round of this Christmas bread costs about $2 to make, such a better price than what you’d make at the store.

Christmas Bread is delicious. Scented with lemon zest and dotted with dried cranberries, this lightly sweetened bread is a delicious foil to some of the sweeter and heavier holiday fare.

It’s a fun holiday treat. Be sure to include this in your holiday brunch or even Breakfast in Bed.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to bake Cranberry Christmas Bread:

milk – You can use whatever milk you like in Christmas Bread. I use dairy, but almond or other plant-based milk should work as well. Keep in mind, the higher the fat content, the richer your Christmas bread will be.

butter – I like to use dairy butter, but again, a plant-based butter, margarine, or even neutral oil should work. The fat adds richness to the Christmas Bread.

brown sugar – I like to use dark brown sugar for a little bit of molasses flavor. You can use light brown or granulated sugar if that is what you have. While you can make your own brown sugar, if you want just add a bit of molasses with regular sugar for a good enough approximation.

eggs – Eggs add richness and a softer texture to your Christmas bread. Don’t leave them out.

flour – I typically use unbleached, all-purpose flour in this recipe. You can try adding half white whole wheat if you’d like more whole grain in your Christmas bread.

lemon zest – You can use fresh or dried lemon zest in this Christmas bread recipe. Remember you can freeze lemon zest and juice if you have extras.

salt and active dry yeast – These add texture and flavor to your Christmas bread, don’t omit them.

dried cranberries – My family loves dried cranberries in Christmas bread. See the variations below if you’d like to try other mix-ins.

(optional) Swedish pearl sugar – This fun sugar makes for beautiful baked goods. Chances are a bag will last you a long time. It’s fun to use atop Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate Butterhorn Pastry or anywhere you would use raw sugar.

Variations

While lemon zest and dried cranberries keep this Christmas Bread simple, feel free to add any of the following instead of or in addition to the cranberries:

• orange zest
• finely diced candied orange
• dried currants
• raisins (gold or black)
• chocolate chips
• vanilla, rum, or almond extract
• toasted and chopped nuts

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make this easy Cranberry Christmas Bread:

To make the dough in a stand mixer:

1. Combine the milk, butter, and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. The mixture should be 105 to 110 degrees F. Transfer the mixture to the mixer bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.

2. Add the egg, flour, cranberries, lemon zest, and salt. Stir to combine well. Attach the bread hook and knead until a smooth elastic dough is formed, adding ½ to 1 cup flour if necessary. Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To make the dough by hand:

• Combine the milk, butter, and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.
• Add the egg, flour, cranberries, lemon zest, and salt. Stir to combine well.
• Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary. Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To make the dough in a bread machine:

• Combine the ingredients in the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set the dough cycle and turn it on.

When the dough is ready

Preheat the oven to 350 °. Place two 4-inch panettone paper molds on a baking sheet.

NOTE: If you don’t have paper molds, you can make your own paper mold or form each section of dough into a loaf shape and place each in a traditional loaf pan. The baking time may be on the shorter side if you bake in a long loaf.

3. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in two pieces. Form each piece into a tight ball and place in a paper mold. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

4. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Bake the Christmas bread rounds for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Test with an instant read thermometer. The center of the bread should be 190 degrees. Cool on a rack before serving.

FAQs & Recipe Costs

Recipe Costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• milk – $0.17
• butter – $0.75
• brown sugar – $0.06
• eggs – $0.30
• flour – $0.60
• lemon zest – $0.40
• salt – $0.01
• active dry yeast – $0.33
• dried cranberries – $1.00

While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $3.62 for two rounds of Christmas Bread, about $0.23/serving.

Since imported panettone costs about $5 for a small round, this is an incredible savings, plus the bread will be fresh!

More Great Christmas Recipes

This post was originally published December 21, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.