Spiced Holiday Breakfast Bread (Christmas Baked Goods)
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, then cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs, milk, orange zest and vanilla. Fold in dried cranberries and walnuts, pour into a greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350 F for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes, then slice.
Spiced Holiday Breakfast Bread is my answer to christmas baked goods that actually make the morning easier. It is a tender, warmly spiced loaf loaded with dried cranberries, orange zest and toasted walnuts, mixed in two bowls and baked while you wrap last minute gifts. It slices clean, keeps for days and tastes even better the next morning, which makes it the perfect make ahead bake for Christmas.
Why you’ll love it
- One bowl of dry ingredients plus one bowl of wet, mixed in about 20 minutes of hands on time.
- Warm holiday spices, bright orange zest and chewy dried cranberries in every slice.
- Tastes better the next day, so you can bake it Christmas Eve and relax on Christmas morning.
- Slices cleanly and keeps soft for 4 days at room temperature, or freezes for months.
- No yeast, no rising time and no special equipment beyond a standard loaf pan.
Ingredient notes
Warm spices: cinnamon leads, with nutmeg, cloves and ginger behind it. Measure them fresh, since spices sitting open for a year lose the punch that makes this loaf taste like the holidays.
Orange zest: the bright note in the loaf. Zest the orange before you juice it, and avoid the white pith underneath, which tastes bitter once baked.
Dried cranberries: they stay chewy and sweet through the long bake, where fresh berries would weep and make the crumb soggy. Cherry or apricot swaps work too.
Walnuts: toast them for 8 minutes at 350 F while the oven heats. Toasted nuts stay crunchy inside the soft crumb, and the whole loaf tastes nuttier.
Butter and eggs: both at room temperature. Cold eggs make the butter seize into lumps, and a lumpy batter bakes into a lumpy loaf.
The two bowl rule that keeps the crumb tender
Quick breads go wrong in one predictable way, and it is overmixing. The moment flour meets liquid, gluten starts forming, and every extra stir makes the loaf tougher. So work in two bowls, keep the dry whisk quick and stop the final stir the moment the flour streaks disappear. A few small lumps are not a problem, they bake out. Fold the fruit and nuts in with the same light hand, three or four turns of the spatula. If you can still see a streak of flour, give it one more gentle fold, then stop. That restraint is the whole difference between a tender holiday loaf and a brick.
Variations
- Glazed top: whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice and drizzle it over the cooled loaf for a pretty finish that cracks lightly when sliced.
- Chocolate chip: swap the cranberries for dark chocolate chips and skip the nuts. The warm spices with chocolate taste like a holiday spice cake.
- Apple spice: fold in 1 cup of finely diced apple with the cranberries and add an extra 5 minutes to the bake. Check the center with a toothpick, since the apple adds moisture.
- Mini loaves: divide the batter between three greased mini loaf pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes. They make wonderful neighbor gifts wrapped in parchment and twine.
What we learned testing it
- I tested with fresh cranberries once and the loaf turned out too wet and tart. Dried cranberries keep their shape and sweetness through the long bake.
- Tent with foil at the 35 minute mark if your oven runs hot. My test loaf browned hard on top before the center set when I skipped the tent.
- Toasting the walnuts for 8 minutes at 350 F made a real difference. The toasted nuts stayed crunchy inside the soft crumb instead of going soft themselves.
Read how we test recipes.
Spiced Holiday Breakfast Bread (Christmas Baked Goods)
Makes 1 loaf (12 slices) · 1 hr 30 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Large mixing bowls · Whisk · Electric mixer or wooden spoon · 9 by 5 inch loaf pan · Wire rack
Instructions
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Whisk the dry ingredients and cream the butter
Heat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment so the loaf lifts out cleanly. In a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger until evenly mixed. In a second bowl beat the softened butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk, orange zest and vanilla.
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Combine the batter and fold in the fruit and nuts
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just until no flour streaks remain. A few small lumps are fine and expected. Fold in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts until they are evenly spread through the batter. Stop as soon as everything is combined, since overmixing makes the loaf dense and tough.
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Bake until a toothpick comes out clean
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
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Cool in the pan, then slice and serve
Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes so the crumb sets, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool fully. Slices cut cleanest once the loaf reaches room temperature. Serve plain, or warm thick slices with butter for a proper holiday morning table.
Notes
- Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs the flour down and gives a heavy loaf.
- Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature before you start. Cold eggs make the butter seize into lumps, and the batter never comes together smoothly.
- Do not skip the orange zest. It is the bright note that keeps the warm spices from tasting flat, and it makes the whole kitchen smell like the holidays.
- This loaf slices best the next day. The flavors settle overnight and the crumb firms up, so it is a great make ahead bake for Christmas morning.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Dried cranberries
- Use the same amount of dried cherries or chopped dried apricots. Cherries make it richer, apricots make it a little sweeter.
- Walnuts
- Swap in pecans one for one, or leave the nuts out entirely. Without nuts the loaf is a little more tender, so reduce the bake by about 5 minutes and check early.
- Orange zest
- Use 1 teaspoon of orange extract, or the zest of one lemon for a brighter, sharper loaf. Skip the lemon juice itself, since the extra liquid changes the crumb.
Storage and make-ahead
Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap or foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, slice it first, wrap the slices in pairs and freeze for up to 3 months. Warm a slice in the toaster or a warm oven before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these christmas baked goods ahead of time?
Yes, this is one of my favorite make ahead christmas baked goods. Bake it the day before, cool it fully and wrap it tightly. The flavor actually improves overnight, and you just slice and serve on Christmas morning.
Why did my loaf sink in the middle?
A sunken middle usually means underbaking or too much leavening. Check that your baking powder is fresh, and bake until a toothpick truly comes out clean from the very center, not just near the edge.
Can I bake this as muffins instead of a loaf?
You can. Fill lined muffin cups two thirds full and bake at 350 F for 18 to 22 minutes. This batter makes about 14 muffins, and they freeze beautifully.
Do I have to use the walnuts?
No. Leave them out for a nut free loaf, or use pecans instead. If you skip the nuts, pull the loaf about 5 minutes earlier and test with a toothpick, since it bakes a little faster.
How do I keep the loaf from getting dry?
Do not overbake it, and wrap it while it is still just barely warm so it holds onto its moisture. Storing the cooled loaf wrapped tightly at room temperature keeps it soft for days.
