Table of contents for Holiday 2016 in Bake from Scratch

that beckons bakers to the kitchen more than the holidays —and I’m talking days upon delightful days of confection creation and baked gifts being prepared for family and friends. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, my first batch of homemade eggnog makes its annual debut, marking the start of a season filled with traditions dear to me. I spend time with my Mimi and Grandad making cookies to be served on Christmas Day, and I always round out my baking spree with a cake for Christmas dinner. This year’s will actually be two, both versions of our Bûche de Noël If you’re wondering where to start your holiday baking, turn to our “12 Bakes of Christmas” story. These carol-inspired recipes were so fun to brainstorm with our test kitchen chefs. I have…

Walking into Breads Bakery on a Saturday morning means stepping into a whirlwind: Employees replenishing trays of pains aux raisins, sugar-studded brioche buns, cretzels (soft pretzels made from croissant dough), and other just-baked temptations at a self-service area by the entrance. Nearby, a pastry case is stocked with wedges of cheesecake, puffy rugelach, seasonal tarts (the Union Square Greenmarket, the source of that fruit, is less than a block away), assorted burekas (Israeli savory hand-pies), and oh so much more. The wall behind the register is lined with assorted loaves (the bakery is called Breads, after all). There’s something for every whim—crusty baguettes, dense Danish ryes, and ornate challahs. For those with a sweet tooth, a lacquered marzipanstuffed braided specimen, dotted with sliced almonds. For the showoffs, an even more…

Julie Tanous whisks together flour and spices, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson chops pecans. Sleeves rolled up and aprons on, the friends stand side by side at the long wooden island in the kitchen of his Spanish Colonial abode, tucked into a Los Feliz hillside. Jesse’s dog, Leaf, stands on high crumb alert at their feet, and sunlight pours through the kitchen windows, illuminating a work surface scattered with egg shells, sugar, measuring spoons, and spatulas. When it comes to baking for the holidays, these two don’t mess around. Well, for the most part. Bette Midler’s greatest hits album blares—Julie is certain she and Jesse will both be reincarnated as 60-year-old women, she says—and two rocks glasses await the hefty pour of bourbon they’ll share in Jesse’s plush library room after…

Of all the things we bake, cookies are some of the simplest. Yet, there’s something about them that speaks to us. Baking guru Dorie Greenspan believes that cookies are memories, and she’s written Dorie’s Cookies (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)—her 13th book—to chronicle her best cookie recipes and share a fresh take on one of the most classic desserts of all time. In this book, readers find nostalgic familiarity alongside recipes that leave room for endless creativity. “From the time we are little kids, we grow to have a special connection with cookies,” says Dorie, who grew up in a cookieloving family. “There’s something very personal about them. People might not have opinions about a Bundt cake or pie, but everybody’s got an idea about cookies.” Over the course of her career,…

Keith Pandolfi Writer Keith Pandolfiis a former senior editor at Saveur magazine and a former features editor at Serious Eats. His work appears regularly in the Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light, and Eater. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. Favorite Holiday Tradition: “Watching It’s a Wonderful Life with a plate full of Italian Christmas cookies and a mug of Jack Daniels-spiked eggnog.” Stephanie Burt Stephanie Burt grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, on good Southern cooking and lots of books. She received both her BA and MA in English from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and was a former instructor of English and American Studies there as well. She regularly writes for outlets such as Food Republic and has a regular column in Charleston, South Carolina’s the…

Before gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses, and before candied ginger or ginger snaps, ginger was mostly medicinal—the Pepto- Bismol of its day—used thousands of years ago in Asia to quell upset stomachs. Ginger is a proud member of the Zingiberaceae family—a tribe of flowering aromatic plants that grow in abundance in tropical and subtropical regions of southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean (among its spicy siblings are both turmeric and cardamom). If you happened upon a field of ginger you would notice its long stalks, three or four feet tall, with narrow green leaves and clusters of white and pink buds that bloom into yellow flowers. It’s pretty. So pretty, that it’s sometimes used as landscaping in the subtropics. But it’s the rhizome you want: an underground stem…

PRO TIP: Hand pies may be assembled the day before and frozen overnight for quicker final preparation in the morning. PRO TIP If making the dough for Breakfast Braid and Monkey Bread the day before, punch dough down after it has doubled in size, cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 16 hours. When ready to assemble, place dough on a lightly floured surface, and let it come to room temperature before shaping, about 30 minutes. MONKEY BREAD Makes 1 (10-inch) bread The term “monkey bread” was first used in Southern California in the 1940s. Most commonly known as “pull-apart bread,” it refers to a rich bread formed into separate pieces of yeast dough. Ours is a savory twist on the classically sweet crowd pleaser with four different flavors all…

CHALLAH BRAIDS Makes 2 large braids Braided challah is the most traditional form, with the braided presentation turning the egg-y dough into a work of art. Challah Dough (recipe on page 89) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 to 2 tablespoons (9 to 18 grams) poppy seeds 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. Divide dough in half. Divide one-half of dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches long. Place strands vertically in front of you, and dust with flour. Pinch 4 ends together at top. Cross the first strand under the second and third strands. Cross the third strand over the second strand. Cross the fourth strand under the second strand. Cross the second strand over…

I f you’ve never experienced a Kringle, then the name probably conjures images of the jolly old man in a red suit who comes ‘round Christmastime. But after one bite of this Danish delight, old Kris is long forgotten and visions of sugarplums are replaced with rings of flaky golden pastry iced to perfection. Getting your hands on one will be the only thing on your wish list this year. Also referred to as a Dansk Smørekringle and a Nordic pretzel, depending on where you order one, the Kringle is a Danishborn treat composed of delicate dough and can be filled with everything from classic almond paste to fruit and nuts. True Kringles are a labor of love. To create the tender pastry, butter is rolled into yeasted dough, which…

vanessa rocchio Although she is a Texan at heart, Vanessa Rocchio has lived in Birmingham, Alabama, for 26 years, where she has worked as a recipe developer. She has loved to cook since she was a child big enough to pull a chair up to the kitchen counter, and she hasn’t stopped since. Even though Vanessa develops recipes in the Bake from Scratch test kitchen all day, she still makes a meal with her son every night. Favorite Holiday Tradition: “Baking, of course. My son Matthew and I bake cookies, gingerbread houses, and pound cake. We belly up to the counter, and my son looks forward to rolling out dough and licking spatulas. We crank up the Christmas music, sip hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, and turn…

CLASSIC BUCHE DE NOEL Makes 8 servings We developed a streamlined recipe to make the traditional Bûche de Noël process slightly less laborious (although you might still need to plan a weekend around it). See our pro tips for helpful tricks to make it even easier. 4 large eggs ¾cup (151 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla bean paste ⅔cup (93 grams) all-purpose flour ⅓cup (32 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder 1½teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder ¼teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons (82 grams) sour cream ¼cup (50 grams) vegetable oil Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting Vanilla Bean Filling (recipe follows) Whipped Ganache Frosting (recipe follows) Meringue Mushrooms Sugared Rosemary 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 17½x12½ jelly-roll pan with baking spray with flour. Line…

1.Partridge in a Pear Tree Gingerbread Pear Loaves 2.Turtle Doves Turtle Bars 3.French Hens Paris-Brest 4.Calling Birds Bird's Milk Cake 5.Golden Rings Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Glaze PRO TIP: We used Nordic Ware Heritage Bundtlette Cake Pans. 6.Geese a-Laying Six Layer Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake 7.Swans a-Swimming Meringue Swans in Crème Anglaise 8.Maids a-Milking Tres Leches Pound Cake 9.Ladies Dancing Charlotte Russe with Homemade Lady Fingers 10.Lords a-Leaping Lord Baltimore Cake 11.Pipers Piping Manchego Fennel Cheese Straws PRO TIP: Baked cheese straws can be frozen for up to 2 months. 12.Drummers Drumming Drumstick Custard Tart GINGERBREAD PEAR LOAVES Makes 2 (8.x4.-inch) loaves With their elegant tapering necks and firm texture, whole Bosc pears baked into this rustic loaf elevate its look and taste. Poached Pears: 5 (12-ounce) bottles…

NOT-SO-TRADITIONAL AMERICAN FRUITCAKE Makes 1 (9x5-inch) loaf Fruitcake is sometimes an acquired taste. This particular version is free of that neon-colored “fruitcake” blend that always shows up on the grocery aisles around the holidays. Instead, we use natural fruits, which are much more appealing. ½ cup (98 grams) dried apricots, chopped ½ cup (72 grams) dried cherries ½ cup (72 grams) dried cranberries ½ cup (70 grams) golden raisins 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved 1 orange, zested 1 cup (192 grams) bourbon ½ cup (72 grams) pistachios, finely chopped ½ cup (60 grams) sliced almonds ½ cup (56 grams) pecans, finely chopped ½ cup (48 grams) walnuts, finely chopped ¾ cup (173 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (240 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar 2…