If you'd like to bake a bread that's festive, rich and slightly sweet, then this Stollen bread would be an excellent choice. The best way to describe Stollen would be a mix between a bread and a cake - it's yeasty and bready, yet rich and slightly sweet. How can you go wrong? Slices of this bread are really nice for breakfast, or to serve with a cup of coffee as a treat.

Ingredients:

• 150 g butter
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 40 almonds
• 1 1/2 cups dried apricots
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated
• 630 g ap flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp instant dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs butter

Method:

Melt the butter and let cool. Pour the whiskey over the raisins in a small cup and let sit. Chop the almonds, chop the apricots. Wash the lemon and orange, dry and carefully cut off the rind, making sure you don't get any of the white part. Mince the rind (both orange and lemon) finely.  

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and yeast. Mix well, then add the yeast, the milk and the butter. Work the dough together. Add the apricots, raisins and whiskey, nutmeg, minced citrus peel and chopped almonds. Work together well with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. Cover the dough and let rise for about two hours.

Scrape the dough onto a floured counter and knead through it. Split it into three parts, then make a loaf out of each piece of dough, place all of the loaves on a parchment covered sheet pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rice for about 1 hour.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. If you like, you can powder the loaves with powdered sugar once they've cooled.

These Swedish saffron and almond paste buns are really nice; they're slightly sweet and stay moist and don't become dry like saffron breads sometimes tend to. The secret is using sour cream in the dough, and the almond filling also helps making the buns more flavorful. What's great about these buns is that you can either bake them individually in muffin forms, or you can put a whole bunch of them in a cake pan and bake them all together for a beautiful sweet bread.

In Sweden, most people use almond paste which they buy in the store, but considering that is hard to find here, we find it easier to just make our own version of almond paste using ground almonds, powdered sugar and some water. You can either grind your own almonds if you have an almond grinder, or you can pick up ground almonds at Trader Joe's for instance. Traditionally, you remove the skins of the almonds before making almond paste, however we tend to keep them on, since it really doesn't matter much in the way of flavor.

These saffron breads are wonderful to keep on hand in the freezer and take out during the month of December to enjoy with milk, tea and coffee, or why not a hot cup of glögg!

Makes about 30 servings

Dough:

• 6 2/3 cup ap flour
• 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 tbsps (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 g saffron
• 1 egg

• 350 g ground almonds
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 16 tbsp butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• almond slices
• pearl sugar

With this dough you can make very tasty Swedish pirogues / stuffed breads / hot pockets. These little filled breads are perfect to enjoy for dinner or lunch with a salad, or bring with you on a picnic. These are also really nice to keep in the freezer and bring out whenever you need a nice meal.

For a filling, we either recommend spicy ground beef or ham, leeks & cheese.

Ingredients:

• 50 g butter
• 278 g (2 1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
• 397 g (2 3/4 cup) ap flour
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 974 g (2 cups) milk

Method:

Melt the butter. In a mixer bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, ap flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir to combine, then add the melted (ideally cool) butter and milk. Stir with a spatula to combine to a rough dough. Then either knead by hand for about five minutes, or run the mixer on low for a few minutes until the dough comes together.

Cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rise for 40 minutes. At this point you could place it in the fridge in an oiled plastic bag, for later use, or start making pierogies / hot pockets.

Make your filling. (We recommend spicy ground beef or ham, leeks & cheese.)

On a floured surface, cut the dough in 10 - 12 pieces, depending on how large you want the finished breads. Roll each piece out in a thin round, about .. inches in diameter. On the one half add about 1/2 cup of filling, Add a little bit of water with your hand on the edge of the dough, and flip the other side over. Press down with a fork all around the edge, and also pierce the bread a couple of times to let steam out.

Place all the finished pierogies on a parchment covered sheet, drape with oiled plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise for about 15 minutes. Bake in a 430 degree oven for about 16 minutes, or until they are brown on top. Let cool on a wire rack.

This Italian stuffed Tortano bread makes a great meal all by itself. You make a soft dough that you stuff with prosciutto, olives, cheese and herbs and the result is fabulous. It's perfect to bring along on a picnic, or enjoy at home either as a complete meal, or as a side dish next to a salad or bowl of soup.

Ingredients

• 247 g bread flour (2/3 cup)
• 183 g semolina flour (1 cup)
• 3/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 266 g water (1 cup)
• 200 g prosciutto
• 200 g Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup olives
• 4 tbsp fresh herbs (basil & parsley for example)

Method:
Combine the flour, yeast and salt. Then add the honey, olive oil and water and stir to combine until you have a soft dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 30-45 minutes.

On a floured surface, pat down the down into a rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick. Put down about half of the prosciutto in the center (not too far out to the edges), then cheese, olives, herbs and the rest of the prosciutto. Wet the edges of the dough with some water an then pinch the edges together so you have one stuffed log. Make a ring out of the log, and pinch the edges together.

Transfer the ring onto a parchment covered baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for about 30 minutes.

Put the oven at 450 degrees. Once you're ready to bake, put the bread in the oven and lower the temperatures to 400 degrees. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes until it's nice and brown.

Take out of the oven and place the bread on a baking sheet. Handle it carefully at this point, since if you create a hole, some of the cheese may start to ooze out. Let the bread sit for at least 45 minutes, preferably a bit longer before cutting into.

• 390 g all purpose flour (3 cups)
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 350 g water (1.625 cup)

If you wish to make an amazingly buttery, rich cinnamon-raisin loaf, then this bread is for you. This recipe, also an adaptation from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s book “The Bread Bible” calls for a dough starter that most conveniently sits in the fridge overnight. The flour mixture contains a stick of butter that gives this bread a very flaky, almost pastry like texture – wonderful both fresh and toasted. Each loaf is rolled out into a rectangle and brushed with an egg wash before liberally dusted with cinnamon sugar. The raisins are mixed into the dough, and not layered along with the cinnamon sugar. This method prevents gaps which can easily happen in spiraled breads. Also to avoid gaps in the dough, make sure to give the bread a generous amount of time to rise, especially during the last rise after you roll the loaves together.

All in all, this is one of the best cinnamon raisin loaves we have tried. The texture is great, the flavor is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of raisins, cinnamon and sugar. Whether for breakfast, or just with coffee, this bread is sure to impress whoever gets a slice! The two loaves will disappear surprisingly quickly, but if you have any leftovers, this bread works very nice to freeze, pre-sliced.

Two 8-by-4-by-4 ½-inch-high loaves

Dough starter (sponge)

2 ¼ cup plus 2 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cup water, room temperature
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
¾ teaspoon instant yeast

Flour mixture

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup dry milk
¾ teaspoon instant yeast
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 ¼ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar Spiral Filling

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg, beaten

Method:

1. Make the sponge by mixing flour, water, honey and instant yeast in a large bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set it aside and cover it with plastic wrap.

2. Make the flour mixture by mixing the flour (reserve ¼ cup if mixing by hand), dry milk and instant yeast in a separate bowl. Gently place the flour mixture on top of the sponge, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment 1 to 4 hours (you can place it in the fridge after one hour and leave it overnight if it’s more convenient, just make sure to take it out of the fridge on hour before mixing the next day).

3. Now, add the salt, cut up butter to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough together in the bowl until it comes together, then knead it on a floured surface for 5 minutes to develop the gluten structure. Cover it with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes until it’s very smooth. Add some additional flour if the dough is sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to relax for 10 minutes. Add the raisins and incorporate them into the dough with your hands.

You can also do this step using a machine. Then, add butter to the bowl, and using a dough hook, mix the mixture on low for about 1 minute, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Next, sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Add the raisins and mix on low speed or about 2 minutes to incorporate them.

4. Now, place the dough in a lightly greased 4-quart bowl (or dough rising container). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 ½ hours to 2 hours, ideally in 75 – 80 degrees. (If your kitchen is colder than that, you can put your oven on warm for a minute, then shut it off and leave the dough inside the oven for the rising period).
Once it’s doubled, scrape it out on a floured surface, give it a business letter turn (stretch the dough out and fold it on top of it a couple of times). Place it in the oiled bowl again, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest a second time, about 45 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cinnamon. Brush the egg in a separate bowl.

6. Scrape the dough out on a floured surface and divide it in two equal pieces. Cover one piece of dough with plastic wrap and work with the other. Roll out on piece of dough to a rectangle 7 ½ inches wide by 14 inches long and about ¼ inch thick. Gently dimple the dough all over with your fingers to deflate air bubbles. Brush the dough with the beaten egg, leaving a 3/4 –inch margin on the edges. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar evenly on the dough. Start rolling the dough together, squeezing it gently along the length of the roll. Close the ends up and pinch the seams together. Place the roll in an oiled 8 ½-by 4 ½-inch loaf pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and repeat for the second loaf. Allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (it is recommended that you pre-heat the oven 45 min before baking). On the lowest level in the oven, place a baking stone or a sheet pan before preheating.

8. Set the loaf pans on the baking stone and shut the door immediately. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and an instant read thermometer in the center reads 211 degrees. Turn the loafs around halfway through baking for even baking.

9. Once the breads are done, remove them from the oven and unmold them. Set on a wire rack and let cool completely.

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 tsp instant yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 250 g rye flour
• 300 g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 75 g melted butter (cooled a bit)

Pita breads are easy to make and so much more delicious than the store-bought variety. This recipe is inspired from the pita bread in "Flatbreads & Flavors: A Baker's Atlas" by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid which is a real treasure when it comes to finding good flatbread recipes.

We used 100% whole wheat flour and it turned out delicious. However if you prefer, you could substitute half of the whole wheat for regular white flour. One thing to remember though is, when you bake 100% whole wheat breads, it's very important that the flour is fresh, otherwise the bread can easily end up tasting rancid and dense. Therefore it's always a good idea to store your whole wheat flour in the freezer. We also kneaded this dough by hand, however you could certainly use the machine if you prefer.

These pita breads are great to eat with lots of different fillings and they make perfect picnic food. We particular like to eat them with fried falafel balls, lettuce and tahini sauce for authentic Middle Eastern falafel sandwiches.

16 pita breads

Ingredients

• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 5 cups fresh whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Pour the water, yeast and three cups of flour into a mixing bowl and combine. Stir with a wooden spoon for about one minute to get the gluten to develop. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes or up to 2 hours and develop.

At this point add the salt and the olive oil and stir together. Add two cups of more flour, a little bit at a time and stir until you have a rough dough. Scrape the dough out onto a floured counter and knead for eight to ten minutes by hand. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour. It should be easy to work with.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. You could also refrigerate the dough at this point (or even right after you transfer the dough to the bowl since it will rise slowly in the refrigerator anyway.)

Heat oven to 450 degrees, and make sure you have a large baking stone or unglazed tiles in the oven as it heats up.

Divide the dough in half, set one half around (if the dough was refrigerated, make sure it comes back to room temperature before doing this step.) Divide half the dough in eight equal pieces. Roll each out to a circle, about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. Cover the rolled-out doughs until baking.

Bake two breads at a time for 2-3 minutes right on the stone until they have ballooned. Wrap baked breads in kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft.

These breads don't really store that well out in room temperature, so either eat them within a few hours, or freeze.

• 150 g ripe rye sourdough
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 550 g water
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp salt
• 500 g whole spelt flour
• 250 g whole wheat
• 250 g white ap flour

This light ciabatta bread is just perfect; airy, crusty and flavorful. Inspired by the Ciabatta loaves in Daniel Leader's wonderful book "Local Breads", this bread really is great with a deep flavor development, a great crust and light crumb. The dough here is very wet and soupy, so don't even try to knead this by hand!

This dough needs to kneaded for quite some time, and it also rises for 3-4 hours which gives it good flavor and a wonderful texture.

Biga
65 g water
1/2 tsp instant yeast
100 g bread flour

Mix together biga in a small bowl, knead for a minute or two. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit out for a few hours (if you're planning to bake later, put it in the fridge after a few hours.)

Bread dough

425 g water
2 tsp instant yeast
500 g bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt (fine, not coarse)

Method:

1. Scrape the biga into the mixer bowl, add water and stir to break it up, then add the yeast, the flour and the salt. Stir with spatula to form a rough dough.

2. Knead in the mixer for 15 minutes on medium-high.

3. Pour the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 3-4 hours.

4. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scrape the dough onto a floured countertop and divide by two. Pick up one piece of dough and in one motion stretch it out and put it on the parchment paper. Do the same with the hoer piece of dough.

5. Dimple the dough with your finger tips, then drape with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 40 minutes.

6. Heat the oven to 475, one hour before baking. On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Place the tray with loaves onto the oven (alternatively place the parchment with the loaves directly on a baking stone, however this can be a bit tricky with two loaves). Pour 1/2 cup of ice cub in the skillet, to add steam, then bake for about 30 minutes until golden.

Let cool on wire rack for an hour before cutting up.

Ciabatta rolls

Alternatively you can make rolls with this dough, then do the 1st, 2nd and 3rd step, at which point you pour the dough onto a flour dusted counter into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. Dust the dough with flour, and either use a sharp, oiled knife, or an oiled pizza cutter and cut the dough lengthwise into 2 inch steps, and then each strip into 3 inch pieces. Place each piece of dough (try not to work with it too much) on a parchment covered sheet pan, two inches apart.

Drape with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 475 got about 20 minutes, no need to use any ice for steam.