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    Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Published: Dec 3, 2013 · Modified: Dec 3, 2020 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 59 Comments

    Crunchy Almond Holiday Bread

    Jump to Recipe
    Red and white text on image of holiday braid slice and whole bread on grey background
    Close up of almond crunch braided bread on black oven sheet; brown and white text overlay

    A gorgeous holiday braid, with a crunchy almond crust and a soft, fluffy crumb. Make it plain or add cranberries, chocolate chips, or spices for a more festive look. It can be made ahead and frozen.

    Slice of almond braid on a wooden table; whole bread in background

    This is the time to make our favorites and watch those around us smile in joy at the prospect of eating that once-a-year-loaf of bread again.

    I love simple loaves of bread, especially when they are lightly sweetened. It turns out I have a thing for these types of recipes, especially if they're braided, like the Finnish pulla or the cinnamon sugar challah.

    And now this simple braid with a crunchy topping of almonds and coarse raw sugar - which looks like broken styrofoam bits lol - and pure almond extract with lemon and vanilla in the dough. Aren't you glad you can add it to your collection?

    Top view of half baked almond braid on a black oven pan
    Table of Contents Hide
    Main ingredients
    Making the braid
    Crunchy topping
    My top tips
    Holiday gift
    Variations
    Related recipes you might like:
    Crunchy Almond Holiday Bread

    Main ingredients

    There are no sophisticated ingredients in this recipe, but make sure to use the best you can afford.

    • Yeast: essential to this recipe and can be either dry (the most common and easier to use) or fresh. I give instructions for both in the recipe card.
    • Flour: I like to mix bread and cake flour, but using only all-purpose works fine too.
    • Sugar: white granulated is the best.
    • Cream: double, heavy, or whipping, they all work. It adds richness and is used directly from the container.
    • Almond flavoring: it's one of the main components and using pure extract is the best option by far.
    • Oil: I like to use a neutrally flavored one like sunflower, but any oil works well here, even olive if you're up for it.
    On a wooden table a single piece of crunchy topped holiday bread, pearl sugar and almonds around

    Making the braid

    Follow these easy steps for braiding this dough.

    Make a rectangle

    Take a small piece of dough to use at the end to cover the place where the ends are pinched. On a lightly floured surface pat the remaining dough into a rough rectangle, 17x9 inches approximately is what mine measured. The longer the piece of dough the larger the final wreath.

    Rectangle of dough on brownish marble countertop

    Make the braid

    Cut the dough into 3 ropes lengthwise and press them together at one end. Make sure they're not sticking to the surface.

    Three ropes of dough on a brown marble counter about to be braided

    Make a wreath

    Join the edges of the braid making a wreath, and pinch to seal. Roll the dough you reserved, flatten it slightly and wrap the pinched ends.

    Braided round unbaked bread on a black oven sheet

    Crunchy topping

    I love how pearl sugar screams holidays, so I mixed it up with cinnamon and almonds for a simple topping that gets crunchy as it bakes. It gives this simple sweet holiday braid a great finish!

    If you only use sliced almonds you can omit the processor and simply mix the topping ingredients in a bowl.

    Top view of coarse pearl sugar, cinnamon and almonds in food processor bowl
    Half view of unbaked braided bread with chopped almond topping on a black sheet

    My top tips

    • Ingredients: measure all ingredients and make sure you have clean counter space and the necessary equipment before starting with the recipe.
    • Cooling: allow the bread to cool down completely before slicing it to avoid clumping. You can eat it warm also.
    • Storing: it can be kept at room t° for a few days, covered, or wrapped to avoid dryness. After that my recommendation is to freeze it, well wrapped. Warm slightly in a medium oven before eating.
    Just baked almond braided bread on black oven sheet

    Holiday gift

    If you want to give a braided sweet bread such as this one for the holidays, remember to wrap it as soon as it cools so it keeps moist, like the pandoro I made last year. Or add a note that it can be frozen and toasted later. Or a recipe for a caramelized apple bread pudding or french toast.

    That is if you don't eat it warm first. So good.

    Variations

    • Shape: a braided wreath is great for the holidays, but you can make one very large straight braid or two medium ones. The latter is the one I opt for many times.
    • Topping: you can use other nuts like hazelnut or pistachios. If you don't have pearl sugar, simply use granulated without processing it.
    • Flavorings: in theory, almost any extract and/or ground spice can be added. As for citrus zest, orange or tangerine goes very well also.
    • Add-ins: this is a great dough to add dried cranberries or raisins. And chocolate chips work well also. About a ½ cup total.
    On a wooden table a slice of sweet bread with crunchy topping, scattered almonds, whole braid in background

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Glazed Almond Vanilla Bundt Cake
    • Glazed Easter Bread (with video)
    • Frangipane (almond cream) with video!
    • Easy Hot Cross Buns Recipe

    Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    If you like the recipes in this blog, consider subscribing and getting all new posts by email. As a thank you, we'll also send you a FREE recipe e-book and our Guide to Freezer Baking!

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    Crunchy Almond Holiday Bread

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    A gorgeous holiday braid, with a crunchy almond crust and a soft, fluffy crumb. Make it plain or add cranberries, chocolate chips, or spices for a more festive look. It can be made ahead and frozen.

    *Allow 2 and ½ more hours of proofing to the time specified in the recipe. 

    • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    • Yield: 1 very large braid

    Ingredients

    For the bread:

    • 1 tablespoon (8g) active dry yeast
    • ½ cup (100g) of sugar
    • Zest of 1 medium lemon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 5 cups (700g) all-purpose flour (or use 3 ½ cups cake flour and 1 ½ cups bread flour as I do)
    • 1 cup (250g) milk (regular or low fat)
    • ¼ cup (80g) cream (heavy, double, or whipping)
    • ¼ cup of water
    • 5 tablespoons (70g) sunflower oil (see Notes below for options)
    • 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 eggs, at room t°

    For the crunchy topping: see Notes, below

    • ¼ cup coarse raw sugar
    • ¼ cup (40g) whole almonds
    • ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ¼ cup sliced almonds
    • 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water for the glaze

    Instructions

    For the bread:

    1. Mix 2 cups cake flour, yeast, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re kneading by hand). If using fresh yeast see Notes, below. 
    2. Heat together milk, cream, water, and oil to lukewarm (120ºF). This is not hot at all, you should be able to dip your pinky finger and feel it slightly warm. 
    3. Add it to the yeast mixture and lightly mix.
    4. Add the eggs, mix with a wooden spoon a bit, and add salt, almond, and vanilla extract. Mix well until creamy, about 1 minute.
    5. Attach to the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and start adding the rest of the flours, ½ cup at a time.
    6. Knead for 4 or 5 minutes, adding a few extra tablespoons of flour if needed because the dough is too wet. The dough will leave the sides of the bowl for the first minute when you add flour, but it won’t completely gather into a ball. That is fine.
    7. By hand, mix with a wooden spoon while you add the remaining flour until it’s very thick. Then dump the dough into a lightly floured counter, and knead by hand for no less than 5-7 minutes, adding extra flour by tablespoons to make a slightly sticky dough.
    8. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic and let rise until doubled, about 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.
    9. Reserve a small piece of dough (you'll use it to cover the pinched ends of the wreath).
    10. Lightly flour the counter and flatten the dough into a rectangle, roughly 17x9 inches, and cut it into three even ropes.
    11. Pinch 3 ends together, and braid it. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
    12. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheet, and pin the two ends together to make a ring. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until almost doubled about 40 minutes.
    13. Preheat the oven 20 minutes before baking to 350ºF / 180°C.

    For the crunchy topping:

    1. Prepare the topping while the dough is proofing for the last time. In a food processor (I use the small attachment) mix sugar, whole almonds, and cinnamon until it’s coarsely ground.
    2. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the sliced almonds.
    3. When ready to bake, mix the egg with a tablespoon of water, and brush generously but carefully the top of the dough trying not to let too much egg wash fall into the crevices.
    4. Sprinkle with the almond mixture.
    5. Bake for 30 minutes, turn down the oven to 325º and bake 10 more minutes, until golden and crunchy.
    6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Or eat warm.
    7. Keep at room temperature for a few days, covered or wrapped. 

    Notes

    • Fresh yeast: you need 3 times more than dry, that is about 27 grams. 
      Mix 1 cup flour, yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar (from the total amount) in a bowl (from the stand mixer if using one), and slowly add the lukewarm milk. Mix lightly with a fork and let stand 5 minutes. It should start to bubble. Proceed with the recipe as in the instructions adding the rest of the liquid and ingredients. 
    • Flour: you can use all-purpose flour instead of both flours listed below.
    • Liquid: I use cream together with low-fat milk; you can use full-fat milk and ½ cup water too.
    • Topping: if you only use sliced almonds you can omit the processor and simply mix the topping ingredients in a bowl. You can also use other nuts like hazelnut or pistachios. If you don't have pearl sugar, use granulated without processing it though it won't be exactly the same.
    • Shape: a braided wreath is great for the holidays, but you can make one very large straight braid or two medium ones. The latter is the one I opt for many times. 
    • Flavorings: in theory, almost any extract and/or ground spice can be added. As for citrus zest, orange or tangerine goes very well also.
    • Add-ins: this is a great dough to add dried cranberries or raisins. And chocolate chips work well also. About a ½ cup total.
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 30
    • Cook Time: 40
    • Category: Bread
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: International

    Keywords: almond braid, almond bread

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

    Adapted from Bread For All Seasons, by Beth Hensperger

    More Bread Recipes

    • Peanut Butter Bread
    • Apple Cinnamon Bread
    • No-Knead Baguette Recipe
    • Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. Anonymous says

      December 09, 2014 at 3:04 pm

      Hello,
      I have a question, we want to make this bread to sell in our bakery in the Netherlands. We already tried to make it but every time it turned out to wet. In the list of ingredients it says 3 eggs but I can't find them anywhere in the recipe. So do I need the eggs or not. If so what are we doing wrong. It is more like a cake mixture. Please help!

      Reply
    2. Aurica says

      March 04, 2014 at 1:35 pm

      it look so crunchy and fluffy in the same time, a great and fresh bread that i will eat it empty, without nothing, that how good look for me 😀

      Reply
    3. maria at inredningsvis says

      February 12, 2014 at 6:36 pm

      WOW this looks SO amazing 🙂 and thanks so much for sweet words on my blog.

      Check out my new post..HOT travel inspiration....Yucatan 🙂

      Have a lovely day dear

      LOVE Maria at inredningsvis - inredning it's, Swedish for decor 🙂

      Reply
    4. Mel says

      December 30, 2013 at 7:19 pm

      That bread is so gorgeous, Paula! Seriously. I just made a note to try a braided ring very, very soon. Good luck with your move (if you aren't done already) - I hope you had a Merry Christmas and find great irony in the fact that one of my very favorite virtual friends I've made is living where the temps are MORE than 100 degrees warmer than where I live. Isn't that unreal?

      Reply
    5. Mary Callan says

      December 29, 2013 at 8:58 pm

      congrats on the house - you are quite a woman to be making bread with all that going on and those temps!! the bread looks FANTASTIC - i'm simply drooling.
      Mary x

      Reply
    6. Kitchen Riffs says

      December 29, 2013 at 8:41 pm

      Just stopping by you wish you a Happy New Year!

      Reply
    7. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

      December 29, 2013 at 7:14 pm

      Gorgeous loaf, wishing I could rip a piece right off the screen! Happy New Year!

      Reply
    8. Gourmet Getaways says

      December 29, 2013 at 7:39 am

      Oh I would love to make this bread. So festive and delicious looking!
      Merry Christmas.

      Reply
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