Food Cooking Techniques Baking Bread Baking 12 Holiday Bread Recipes From Challah to Panettone Celebrate a holiday bread tradition from Israel, Italy, Germany, or the Philippines with these recipes. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 30, 2023 Close Photo: Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser Braided, spiced, studded, and banana-wrapped breads have become holiday traditions across America with influences from around the world. Savor time for a baking project and celebrate the season with Italian panettone, German stollen, Filipino bibingka, and Jewish babka or challah. Serve warm loaves and slices at your holiday gatherings to break special bread with your loved ones. 01 of 12 Challah Bread Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Scented with honey and baked to a golden brown, this tender challah bread from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen is ideal for a big meal. The recipe gives you one large or two small loaves, and you can stash an extra challah in the freezer for up to three months. Get the Recipe 02 of 12 Panettone Abby Hocking Toasted hazelnuts and softened chocolate make Publican baker Greg Wade's rich, buttery Italian panettone a favorite during the holidays. Get the Recipe 03 of 12 Stollen Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread filled with dried fruit, including raisins and orange peel, that has been soaked in brandy or rum. The Great American Baking Show winner Martin Sorge based this recipe on a traditional Dresdner Stollen — the pinnacle of the yeasted fruitcake-like bread. Get the Recipe 04 of 12 Bibingka Banana Bread Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Bibingka is traditionally made for holiday gatherings in the Philippines. Baked in a banana leaf, chef and caterer Woldy Kusina's dessert is both sweet and salty because of the salted duck egg inside and a sharp cheddar cheese topping. Get the Recipe 05 of 12 Cinnamon-Apple Babka Cinnamon-Apple Babka. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This utterly decadent babka from the F&W Test Kitchen combines a gooey, buttery cinnamon bun with the flavors of apple pie. Get the Recipe 06 of 12 Jessamyn's Sephardic Challah © Zubin Schroff Unlike the eggy challahs of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, this version comes from the Sephardic Jews of the Mediterranean, who flavored their challahs with caraway and anise. Hot Bread Kitchen founder Jessamyn Waldman twists hers into a round, turban-shaped loaf. Get the Recipe 07 of 12 Halvah-Stuffed Challah © Molly Yeh Blogger Molly Yeh fills this braided bread with a mix of halvah (the confection made with crushed sesame seeds and honey) and tahini, and then sprinkles on sesame seeds. Get the Recipe 08 of 12 Pain d'Épices © Oddur Thorisson This hearty, deeply spiced gingerbread loaf from French cook and writer Mimi Thorisson has a wonderful honey-buckwheat flavor. Get the Recipe 09 of 12 Cranberry Gingerbread © John Kernick With plenty of tart and tangy fresh cranberries, former F&W Test Kitchen senior editor Kay Chun's loaf is perfect sliced, spread with sweet butter, and served alongside a cup of hot tea. Get the Recipe 10 of 12 Gingerbread with Pears © David De Vleeschauwer Former test kitchen editor Diana Sturgis folds dices of a Bartlett pear into the batter before baking a loaf of gingerbread. Get the Recipe 11 of 12 Chocolate Babka © Con Poulos Pastry chef Melissa Weller's sweet yeasted dough enriched with eggs and pure butter puts this babka in the brioche category. The treat gets extra flavor from cookie crumbs and a thick, luscious chocolate glaze. Get the Recipe 12 of 12 Raisin-Walnut Babka © Con Poulos Melissa Weller swirls this light and buttery babka with a golden raisin puree, studs it with dark raisins and walnuts, and tops it with a luscious cinnamon glaze. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit