10 Homemade Bread Recipes To Warm Your Heart This Holiday Season
There’s nothing like the heartwarming embrace of homemade bread. The aroma alone captures unparalleled feelings of comfort and joy, a testament to the art of bread-making.
From the rustic charm of a French baguette to the rapture of a raspberry cardamom snowflake pull-apart wreath, these recipes were shared by some of the best bakers in the industry and put to the test in the Sur La Table kitchen. All promising to elevate your holiday gatherings with the warmth and goodness of freshly baked bread.
Hungry for more? Explore our recipe library for ideas & inspo for your next gathering.
No Knead Cranberry Rosemary Bread
This recipe is a testament to the transformative power of patience.
While prep spans several hours, it only requires a handful of pantry staples, which makes it a great option for both amateur and seasoned bakers.
The magic happens while the dough is resting and fermenting, allowing the bread to develop its characteristic rustic charm, yielding a beautifully crackling crust and an airy, chewy interior flecked with bursts of cranberry and rosemary.
Pro Tip: Bake in a preheated Dutch oven to ensure you get that golden-brown crust—the perfect accompaniment to a cheese platter, a hearty soup, or simply slathered with butter.
Dutch Oven Bread
With just a few basic ingredients, you can bake this classic, artisanal loaf with ease.
Mix flour, water, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, yielding a smooth, elastic dough. Let it rise until it doubles in size (this is what gives it that light, airy texture with a delightful chew). Shape the dough in a tight ball and let it rise in a preheated Dutch oven until it gets a beautifully crusty exterior.
The final touch—a generous rub of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. The aroma that will fill your kitchen as it bakes to a golden brown is irresistible.
Olive Bread
This recipe requires a few more stages of kneading and rising, but it’s a rewarding journey for bread enthusiasts.
The slow rise and careful handling yield a beautifully textured crust with pockets of olives interspersed like a mosaic within. With its artisanal appeal, inviting fragrance and earthy, aromatic taste, it offers a slice of Mediterranean charm and homemade elegance that’s sure to elevate any dish.
Browned Butter Pumpkin Apple Bread
A true seasonal treat, this recipe takes pumpkin bread to a whole new level.
The preparation is an artful blend of simplicity and finesse, beginning with the flavorful blend of flour, cinnamon, salt, allspice and baking soda, setting the stage for the bread’s aromatic profile.
Browned butter, a star ingredient here, adds a depth of nutty richness, enhancing the moistness and complexity of the loaf, while creaming the pumpkin puree and sugars creates a luxurious base. Diced apples gently folded into the mix bring bursts of sweetness and a delightful textural contrast. And as this baby bakes, the smell is exactly what you’d imagine—marvelous.
Served fresh-out-the-oven with butter, each slice provides a warm, comforting embrace, making it a must for any holiday gathering.
Cinnamon Brown Butter Brioche Wreath
Combining the luxurious flavors of brown butter, fall spices and a tender brioche dough, this recipe is one for the books.
You’ll mix flour, eggs, vanilla extract and a medley of spices with a bloomed yeast to create a dough that’s supple and fragrant, thanks to the aromatic hints of cinnamon and cardamom.
Incorporating the rich brown butter into the dough yields a luxurious texture and depth to the brioche. This is the best part—you roll the dough into an intricate wreath shape, giving it a delightful contrast of a crisp exterior and a tender, buttery crumb swirled with an aromatic filling.
Serving it warm allows each slice to reveal its intricate layers, making it a beautiful centerpiece for festive gatherings or a delightful treat for cozy mornings.
Braided Challah
Challah might seem intimidating, but it’s an extremely forgiving bread to make. Give this recipe a go, and you’ll be braiding and baking in no time.
The best part is dividing and rolling your dough into uniform strands, skillfully intertwining them into a braid. Then brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with your choice of toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flaky sea salt or pearl sugar. Your challah should emerge from the oven with a glossy, golden-brown crust, best enjoyed with a smear of butter and a sprinkle of salt.
Pro Tip: You can use your leftovers as the base for bread pudding or French toast.
Garlic and Herb Pull-Apart Bread
A pull-apart bread is a sensory escape. A healing journey, if you will. And this bread is no exception.
The delightful fusion of herbs, garlic and fluffy dough is transcendent. The dough, gently kneaded and left to rise, becomes a canvas for the aromatic herb and garlic seasoning, a buttery concoction infused with Parmesan that blankets each tender piece of dough.
The bread, baked to a glorious golden-brown hue, emerges from the oven exuding an irresistible aroma that fills the kitchen and beckons with promises of warmth and comfort.
“Garlic Bread” Parker House Rolls
All we have to say is “Parker House rolls,” and you know what we’re talking about. That velvety softness encased in a crisp shell, inviting indulgence with every bite. Yup, those ones.
What sets these rolls apart is their baptism in a fragrant pool of melted butter, parsley and minced garlic, infusing each fold with a richness that transforms them into savory delights. The finishing touch—a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt and parsley.
Their buttery, garlicky aroma will command the attention of any table, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing we can’t contain.
French Baguette Recipe
If you want an authentic, crusty baguette straight out of France, this is the recipe you’ll want in your repertoire. But patience is a virtue.
You’re going to start by making a poolish (a highly fluid yeast-cultured dough) and letting it rest for 12 to 24 hours. This forms the foundation of the dough, offering a touch of stickiness that cleans the sides of the bowl as it’s kneaded. Once you’ve formed your baguettes, you’ll let them proof until puffy and carefully score them before baking.
As they bake, a symphony of crackling sounds will accompany the transformation of these beauties into golden-brown masterpieces, their crusts crackly and crusty while the insides remain soft and airy—a quintessential French experience.
Raspberry Cardamom Snowflake Pull-Apart Wreath
This whimsical creation marries the exquisite flavors of raspberry, cardamom and citrus zest in a symphony of sweet, aromatic spice.
The dough, a testament to patience and precision, takes on a velvety smoothness, intertwining harmoniously with a decadent raspberry filling, elevating each layer of the wreath. As the wreath bakes, a fragrant dance of cardamom and lemon zest fills the kitchen.
Finish it off with a glaze made of heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and confectioners’ sugar, adorning the wreath and putting the final touch on your perfect holiday centerpiece. The joy of pulling each tender, flaky layer apart is truly unmatched.
Get the Raspberry Cardamom Snowflake Pull-Apart Wreath recipe!
Hungry for more? Explore our recipe library for ideas & inspo for your next gathering.
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