In early October, when most people hadn’t even started thinking about Halloween, I sat in my kitchen, mounds of cookbooks spread out before me, mulling over Christmas recipes.  That’s the thing about food writing.  You never work within the season.  In fall I’m researching summer sorbets.  In spring I could be scouring upscale markets in search of an out-of-season persimmon.  A quirky apsect of the field but one that leaves me well-prepared for every season and event.

What I learned on those warm, fall afternoons is that every country seems to possess a Christmas bread.  In Germany it’s dried fruit and nut-studded stollen.  Dusted with powdered sugar or iced with a powdered sugar frosting, stollen is a delectable snack, dessert or breakfast sweet.   Forget Christmas.  I could eat this every day of the week.

The same holds true for panettone.  Originating in Milan, panettone is served year-round at special occasions.  With its rich, cake-like dough and tall, mushroom-like shape, it’s a stunner in both taste and appearance.  Traditionally, raisins, candied citron and citrus zest fill out the bread but my concoction contains macerated dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.  So decadent and delicious.  No question about it.  I’ll be making this one well beyond the holiday season.

Although most of my ancestors came from France, I don’t usually associate the French with holiday breads.  Sure, bakers there make the spectacular yet slightly campy buche de noel, the chocolate-buttercream iced, powdered sugar-dusted yule log cake.  Well, they also bake pompe a huile, a Christmas bread flavored with orange flower water and said to represent Jesus.

Scandinavia offers several distinct breads, too.  From Finland comes joululimppu, a molasses-sweetened rye bread.  Norway and Denmark both claim julebrod or “yule bread” as its own.  Since my friend Christina’s mother, who grew up in Bergen, shared her julebrod recipe with me,  I’m siding with Norway on this one.   With a hint of cardomom and bits of piquant citron and raisins julebrod provides a pleasant change from the surplus of sugary holiday sweets.

The variety doesn’t end here.  Switzerland has birnbrot, a kirsch-laced pear and nut bread.  Greece offers the anise-flavored Christopsomo.  Made on Christmas Eve and decorated with an equal-armed cross, it may serve as the dinner table’s centerpiece on December 25th.

So many fantastic breads from all over the globe.  Lucky for me that I have months and months to sample them!

White Chocolate-Cranberry Panettone
Makes 1 loaf

½ cup cranberries
¼ cup orange or cranberry juice
1 package dry active yeast
½ cup milk, warmed
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour plus a little extra for dusting the work surface
3 tablespoons butter, softened
¾ cup white chocolate chips

In a small bowl mix together the dried cranberries and orange or cranberry juice.

In another small bowl add the milk to the yeast.  Once the yeast has dissolved, add the flour and sugar.  Stir together until well combined.  Cover the starter or biga with a sheet of plastic wrap and, placing in a warm spot, allow to rise until double in size, about 2 hours.

Grease a large mixing bowl as well as a panettone mold or 24-ounce coffee can.  (If you do not have either a mold or empty coffee can, line a small, round, buttered baker with buttered parchment paper – the paper should be roughly 6” high.)

Whisk together the egg, yolks, vanilla, sugar and salt.

Add the starter and flour to the liquids and mix together.  Once the ingredients are incorporated, place the dough on a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Add chunks of the butter to the dough and knead it to incorporate.  Continue to need the dough until the butter is well-combined.   Form the dough into a ball.

Drain and pat the cranberries dry.

Flatten the dough then add a third of the cranberries and chocolate chips.  Fold the dough over and knead the ingredients into the dough.  Repeat the process until all the cranberries and chips have been added.

Form the dough into a ball.  Place it in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 ½ hours.

Punch down the dough, place it in the buttered panettone mold or buttered coffee can and cover it with plastic wrap.  Allow one final rise, about 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the plastic wrap and insert the panettone into the pre-heated oven.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Norwegian Christmas Bread
Courtesy of Eva Mangschou Anderson
Makes 2 rounds or 3 loaves

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 ounces fresh yeast
10 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups milk
5 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting, sifted
2 teaspoons cardamom
7 ounces raisins
1 egg yolk, for brushing on top of bread
1 tablespoon milk, for brushing on top of bread

Put the yeast and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.

In a small sauce pan combine the butter and milk, heating until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm before adding the liquids to the yeast/sugar mixture and stirring to combine.  Allow the yeast to “melt” for a few minutes before stirring again.

Place the flour and cardamom in a large bowl.  Making a small well in the center, pour the liquids into the flour and stir together until well combined.  Add the raisins. The dough will be very sticky at this point

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave it in warm spot to rise to double its size.  Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this could take as little as 30 minutes as long as several hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease two baking sheets and set aside.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.  Add enough flour to the dough to make it smooth and workable.  Shape into 3 loaves or 2 rounds and place onto the greased baking sheets.

Whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush over the top of each loaf.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Serve with butter and preserves or a dab of goat cheese.