Tis the season to get all fat and sassy! Just kidding. But baking can be your friend in the winter. Here is my 2023 Christmas Bread recipe featuring homemade brown sugar and cinnamon rolled into a beautiful loaf. Bonus recipe inside this post: a sweet grilled cheese breakfast sandwich.
Jump to RecipeThis blog may contain articles with links that earn me a commission or referral points/bonuses when you use them at no additional cost to you.
2023 Christmas Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
100g sourdough starter
250g water
500g all purpose flour
10g salt like Redmond Real Salt
20g sugar
7g instant yeast
60g grated butter (oil substitute optional)
1 cup homemade brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Combine sourdough, water, flour in a bowl. Mix until dough is shaggy. This is where you may need to add a little more water. You may use a standing mixer but I use my hands. It feels very therapeutic. Wash them first, obviously. Cover dough & let rest 30 mins.
2. Add salt, sugar, butter, yeast to the dough and knead for 3 to 6 minutes. Dough should be silky and elastic. Really work that butter into the dough.
3. Then you’ll cover and leave dough to rise. About one hour, give or take based on temperature of your home. Dough needs to double in size.
4. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
5. Next, butter or grease your loaf pan. Then clean and/or dust your counter top with flour to help dough not stick as badly to it.
After dough has risen to double its size (1-2 hours)
6. Tip dough out onto a clean counter, sticky side up. (Sticky side is the dough at the bottom of the bowl). Ease dough out by stretching all four sides gently until you’ve got a rectangle or square.
7. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture all over dough, as far to the edges as you can.
8. Starting with one edge, tightly roll dough into a log or rectangle that will fit your loaf pan. You may need a dough scraper to assist in lifting the dough off your surface.
9. Place inside loaf pan, seam side down.
6. Then cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap (leave it loose on the top for rising). Let the rise in the pan for one hour.
7. Finally, bake on 350° for 45 minutes starting in a cold oven.
8. Use a good bread slicing knife to cut, slather on some butter and enjoy!
Christmas Bread 2023
Ingredients
Method
- Combine sourdough, water, flour in a bowl. Mix until dough is shaggy. This is where you may need to add a little more water. You may use a standing mixer but I use my hands. Cover dough & let rest 30 mins.
- Add salt, sugar, butter, yeast to the dough and knead for 3 to 6 minutes. Dough should be silky and elastic. Really work that butter into the dough.
- Then you’ll cover and leave dough to rise. About one hour, give or take based on temperature of your home. Dough needs to double in size.
- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Next, butter or grease your loaf pan. Then clean and/or dust your counter top with flour to help dough not stick as badly to it.
- After dough has risen to double its size (1-2 hours), tip dough out onto a clean counter, sticky side up. Ease dough out by stretching all four sides gently until you've got a rectangle or square.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture all over dough, as far to the edges as you can.
- Starting with one edge, tightly roll dough into a log or rectangle that will fit your loaf pan. You may need a dough scraper to assist in lifting the dough off your surface.
- Place inside loaf pan, seam side down.
- Then cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap (leave it loose on the top for rising). Let the rise in the pan for one hour.
- Finally, bake on 350° for 45 minutes starting in a cold oven.
- Use a good bread slicing knife to cut, slather on some butter and enjoy!
Notes
BONUS RECIPE:
Sweet Grilled Cheese featuring Johnson Home NC’s 2023 Christmas Bread:
Ingredients:
2023 Christmas Bread from above
Cream Cheese
Butter
Instructions:
First, heat your skillet with medium-low heat and grease your skillet with butter. Allow it to melt and coat the skillet.
Next, slice Christmas Bread into slices thick enough for your liking. You may or may not lather one side of your bread with butter but either way, put one slice in the skillet.
Now cut as much cream cheese as you desire and gently spread it over the other piece of bread. Be gentle as not to tear the bread! Layer that piece of bread to the piece in the skillet.
Let bread cook on one side for about 2 minutes or until as golden brown as you prefer. It’s okay to check the cooking side often as not to burn it.
When one side is to your liking, flip the bread to the other side and allow to cook until as golden brown as you prefer.
Now’s the time to cut the sandwich in half and serve on a plate your sweet grilled cheese breakfast sandwich! ENJOY!
Topping Options:
- dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
- drizzle lightly with maple syrup and provide utensils to cut and eat sandwich.
- top with crushed pecans or walnuts and serve with utensils.
Why Christmas Bread?
On Christmas morning breakfast must be served and this one can be prepared early that morning or the next before if making this delicious, sweet and savory grilled cheese sandwich.
Cinnamon and brown sugar things aren’t reserved strictly for winter or holiday season but it sure goes perfectly with the two.
Christmas bread is a great way to make serve your family a tasty Christmas morning breakfast that’ll satisfy any sweet tooth and pairs VERY well with a cup of steaming hot coffee and twinkling Christmas lights as your family celebrates Jesus Christ’s birthday.
Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine!
Thank you for reading Johnson Home NC! Keep up to date on recent posts and sharings and more on Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram: @johnsonhomenc and sign up for my weekly newsletter HERE.
