Description
This festive Christmas Bread is a delightfully moist and flavorful holiday treat, filled with colorful Christmas sprinkles and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or as a seasonal snack, this bread combines classic spices and a rich buttery base with a festive touch to brighten your holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup Christmas sprinkles plus more for topping
Icing
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add eggs and flavorings: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing just until combined. Then mix in the sour cream and whole milk until fully incorporated; set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon to evenly distribute the leavening and spices.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined and no flour streaks remain to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in sprinkles: Carefully fold in the Christmas sprinkles, ensuring not to overmix to prevent the colors from bleeding into the batter.
- Bake the bread: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
- Cool the bread: Remove the loaf from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze: While the bread cools, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth.
- Glaze and decorate: Spread the glaze over the cooled bread using a rubber spatula, then sprinkle with additional Christmas sprinkles for decoration.
- Serve: Let the glaze set before slicing and serving this festive bread.
Notes
- If your bread is browning too quickly, place a foil tent over it to prevent overbrowning while it finishes baking.
- Use room temperature ingredients for best texture and even mixing.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter once the dry ingredients are added to maintain a tender crumb.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute sour cream and heavy cream with plant-based alternatives.
- You can store leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of loaf)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
