Across the world, holiday tables carry loaves that families have baked for generations, often following recipes handed down from older relatives. Some are braided, some are studded with fruit and nuts, and others are wrapped around savory fillings. Here are nine Christmas breads that families bake around the world.
1. Dresden Stollen: Germany’s butter-rich loaf with a royal past
The Dresdner Christstollen is a yeast-raised loaf speckled with sultanas, candied citrus peel, almonds and spices. The European Commission certified it as a protected geographical indication in 2010, limiting production to bakeries in Dresden and twelve surrounding municipalities.
Bakers shape each loaf by hand, then coat it in butter and dust it with icing sugar. A mention in 1474 is the earliest record of stollen, and in 1490 a papal letter exempted Dresden bakers from the Advent ban on butter. A giant loaf commissioned in 1730 inspired the annual Stollen Festival.