Do you love the holidays? Does Christmas time remind you of freshly baked bread baked by your parents or grandparents?
If so, then you’ll love this article.
I’ve been able to live and celebrate the holidays in different parts of the world.
So here I’ve combined some of my favorite holiday recipes in one convenient place.
You might have grown up with one of these recipes, in which case, I would love for you to comment below and tell me about it.
Or, you might find that one of these recipes interests you, and you’d like to try it. In that case, please comment below and let me know!
No matter what your situation, you can take these recipes and make them in your bread machine. Best of all, you can do this all from the comfort of your home. And yes, your bread machine will still give out that delicious holiday aroma.
Also, you don’t have to wait until the holidays to bake them, you can do them right now in your bread machine.
Don’t have a bread machine at home? This one is one of our favorites –
- COMPACT: Requires less than 1' of countertop space and makes 1-lb loaves
- VERSATILE: Makes cookie dough, pasta dough and jam
- BREAD SETTINGS: Basic bread, French and quick bread
- CONVENIENT: Bakes bread in under 2 hours. 13-hour delay timer
- EASY TO USE: Easy to follow video instruction included
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1. Panettone Holiday Bread
Panettone is one of my favorite Christmas breads of all time. Although it originally comes from Italy, Panettone has grown in popularity across many countries.
It becomes even better with a healthy slab of butter on it and a cup of strong, dark coffee.
Panettone is made with a mix of raisins, cranberries, other dried fruit, nuts, and spices. The bread is chewy, the fruit makes it sweet, and the nuts give it a crunch.
It’s hard to believe that a treat like this can be made in a bread machine, but it can be!
Two things are important for you to know about bread machines.
The first is that they can pretty much make anything.
The second is that the outside of your bread won’t look pretty!
If you can get past the outside then you’ll be in store for some delicious bread.
Moreover, the outside of Panettone really isn’t anything to look at.
I spent a lot of time in South America and I can tell you that they love their Panettone!
This article has one of the best Panettone recipes that I’ve seen.
2. Challah – and Shalom!
Have you ever been to the Holy Land? I have and so I can tell you that Challah bread is not only plentiful there, but is also delicious.
This Jewish bread is often eaten around Jewish holidays and also for special occasions.
Challah bread is symbolic of manna coming down and feeding the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness.
What’s also unique about Challah is its shape. It’s a long braid made with six strands of dough. That’s what gives this bread its unique look.
Usually, two loaves are served at a time. Having two loaves that each contain six strands of bread really represents the 12 tribes of Israel.
So this is a bread that although delicious, is much more than a simple food. It represents culture, history, and survival.
You can usually find this bread premade at your local supermarket or baker. Whether there’s Jewish population in your city or not, chances are that you’ll still have this bread available.
Or, you can make it in your bread machine!
This is one of my favorite recipes for homemade Challah bread.
3. Winter Stollen Bread
I love Stollen bread!
There’s a bakery where I live that makes incredible Stollen and they do it for about 5 months out of the years.
So here, it’s not just Christmas Stollen, it’s Winter Stollen.
Winter Stollen bread is traditionally a Christmas bread that was originally created in Germany.
It’s a thick bread with dried fruit and nuts, almost like a delicious fruitcake. It has a powdery crust that is supposed to represent the snowy ground.
This bread (which is more like a thick cake) goes great with butter or cream cheese and coffee.
This is one of those bread machine breads that will taste great but will look kind of strange if made in the bread machine.
However, it is pretty easy to make in your oven.
Check out this site for a great Winter Stollen recipe.
4. Pan de Oro – Pandoro
Are you suprised that some of the most delicious baked goods come out of Italy?
Like Panetonne, Pandoro also comes out of Italy.
Pandoro can also be broken up by Pan de Oro -which is literally “Bread of Gold” or “Golden Bread”.
This is called that because the inside is golden yellow and signifies the star in the Biblical story of the wise men that followed the star to the manger where Jesus was born.
The outside features powdered sugar and the bread itself is cake-like and kind of leans awkwardly to the side.
This bread is unique related to the other treats we talked about because it doesn’t have anything on the inside besides cake.
Cake is actually a strong word for it. It’s really much more airy and light than regular cake. Which is actually good if you’re looking for something to have as a snack throughout the during the holidays.
Stollen, Panetonne, and Challah may fill you up, but not Pandoro.
One thing to note is that it’s a yeast bread so baking it takes a little longer than others.
Check out this site for a great Pandoro recipe that you can make in your bread machine.
Wrapping Up
These bread recipes are revered by people of all nations. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste these breads in different countries around the world.
These few recipes are not all of the holiday breads, there are much more!
Every culture has their own treats for their own holidays.
Is there a specific holiday bread that you would like to see featured here? If there is, let me know in the comments!
