Homemade Delicious Christmas Bread

This is the kind of holiday bread your grandmother might have made: fed by an active sourdough starter, studded with currants, and perfumed with mace and cinnamon so the kitchen smells like Christmas morning the second the loaves go in the oven.

Mace is the unsung hero. It’s the lacy red coat that wraps the nutmeg seed, with a similar warmth but a more delicate, floral edge. A half-teaspoon is exactly enough to whisper “holiday” without shouting.

The long rise (1.5 to 3 hours) is what makes this loaf worth the effort. Sourdough cultures work slower than commercial yeast, and that slow fermentation breaks down the flour into more digestible sugars and develops the complex, slightly tangy flavor that defines a really good Christmas bread.

Divide the dough between two greased loaf pans and wait until it crowns 1 to 2 inches above the rim before baking. Underproofed dough bakes dense and gummy. Overproofed dough collapses in the oven.

Pro Tips

• Make sure your starter is bubbly and active. A sluggish starter means a brick of a loaf. Feed it 4 to 6 hours before you start.
• Soak the currants in warm water (or rum, for a grown-up version) for 15 minutes and pat dry. Plump fruit doesn’t steal moisture from the dough.
• An egg wash before baking gives that bakery-shop sheen. A teaspoon of milk and an egg yolk does the trick.
• These loaves slice cleanly only after they’ve fully cooled. Slice warm and you’ll tear the crumb.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of orange zest for a brighter holiday loaf.
• Swap currants for chopped candied citrus peel and raisins.
• Drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over cooled loaves for stollen-style finish.