30 Christmas Bread Recipes That Are Easy, Pretty and Festive

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8 to 10

You know what? Let’s top everything with cream cheese frosting this winter. "The loaf itself is flavored with a classic blend of spices for the most nostalgic effect," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains, "but you should feel free to adjust the amounts as you see fit. If you love cinnamon and hate nutmeg, replace one with the other! Not a fan of cloves? Leave them out."

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 12

Soft and buttery on the inside, sweet and crunchy on the outside (Shoutout to you, pearl sugar.) In case you need more convincing, the leftovers make excellent French toast.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes (plus rising time)
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 12

Who says pumpkin is just for the fall? This stunning brioche begs to differ. “This bread is made with pureed pumpkin in the dough,” recipe developer Erin McDowell explains, “but it’s still light and fluffy just like brioche normally is, and it’s really golden inside from both the pumpkin and the eggs.”

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

Breakfast doesn’t get any better, especially when it’s dusted in a layer of sweet, edible snow. "Full of rich, deep cocoa flavor, the yeasted dough is flecked with pieces of bittersweet chocolate and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar," McDowell explains.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 15

My two favorite food groups, together at last. If you want the Christmas bread recipe to be as easy as possible, use store-bought dough for the bread "wreath" and don't tell a soul—your secret is safe with me.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 9

I'll admit I'm in it for the cream cheese frosting. (Aren't you?) Canned pumpkin purée gives the dough a gorgeous hue and keeps it soft.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

This is *not* your supermarket panettone. It’s light, airy, moist and flecked with festive cranberries, pistachios and chocolate. Plus, it's miniature, because everyone loves a dessert they don't have to share.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6 to 8

This is definitely one of those times when more is more. Psst: The recipe starts with store-bought crescent dough, but your guests will be none the wiser.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12 to 16

I've found the key to winning Christmas morning, and it's doused in vanilla glaze. The design looks intricate, but all you need is a pair of scissors to make it.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8

This photogenic treat is filled with Nutella, but you could try cinnamon sugar or jam too. You could even add bits of crushed peppermint candies to the chocolatey layer, if you feel so inclined.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 16

It’s a Scandinavian tradition to serve this on Christmas, but no matter your heritage, this holiday bread recipe will be an easy win. Pecans add much-welcome crunch to the filling.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

I'll never turn down a treat with cinnamon streusel on top. (But if you want plain cranberry bread, simply leave it and the bittersweet orange glaze off.)

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 10

I only care about the holiday centerpiece if it’s fully edible—and this one is. Fresh sage, thyme and plenty of grated Parm will make this Christmas bread recipe an annual tradition at first bite.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 8

Scones, shmones. I'm serving this on Christmas morning with a steaming pot of coffee. It's a great way to repurpose any eggnog that's left lingering in your fridge.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 10

You’re going to need something to pair with that holiday cheese board, hint hint. Don't skimp on the fresh rosemary; it makes for an Insta-worthy finishing touch.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 16 buns

Rudolph is gonna love this one. The festive effect is created with dough, a touch of cocoa powder and a bit of food coloring. Ingenious.

• Time Commitment: 8 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 10 to 12

If monkey bread and pecan pie had a (really tasty) baby, this would be it. The key ingredients are easy frozen dinner rolls and store-bought butterscotch pudding mix.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 8

The only thing that could possibly make this foolproof Christmas bread recipe more irresistible? An eggnog glaze. This recipe delivers on both fronts.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

Yes, they’re sweet—but that’s what Christmas is all about. I love that they're baked in a muffin tin for a uniform (and poppable) size and shape.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

It’s called carb art—ever heard of it? Take it way over the top with a side of honey or jam for dipping (not that this bread needs help in the deliciousness department).

• Time Commitment: 14 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
• Serves: 10 to 12

Don't let the time commitment scare you; it's mostly hands-off proofing time. The braiding technique will make you look like a pro, even though it’s secretly really simple.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

Deck the halls with boughs of butter and sugar, please and thank you. Make the dough the night before and this wreath will be a breeze.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

They’re even cozier than a cup of tea (although it couldn't hurt to dunk them before taking a bite). Psst: If you aren't a huge fan of Earl Grey tea, swap it for a plain loose-leaf black tea.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

Hands down, this sticky-sweet, cinnamon bread is my favorite kind of snowflake. As if the brown sugar filling wasn't indulgent enough, it's drizzled with decadent butterscotch sauce for good measure.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8 to 12

Each piece of the soft, buttery dough is stuffed with a creamy mixture of caramelized onions, goat cheese and herbs. It’s best served warm by a twinkling Christmas tree.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 15

They’re so beautiful, yet so easy to pull off. Strips of dough are twisted and formed into a simple knot shape that looks super impressive and high-lift (even though it isn't).

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

It’s like eating cookies for breakfast, and what could be bad about that? The ginger-molasses filling is the ultimate foil for tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
• Serves: 16 bagels

Are they traditional? No. Are they adorable? Absolutely. Better yet, they taste like a cross between a bagel and a soft pretzel (with the added bonus of garlic butter).

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 2 loaves

This one is a buttery, sweet Finnish tradition, and it has “holiday breakfast” written all over it. Garnish it with pearl or turbinado sugar for added crunch.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 1 loaf

Eat, drink and be merry. (And go ahead, eat some more.) Raisins, dried cranberries and dried apricots offer texture, color and sweetness to every crumb.