13 Sweet Yeast Breads From Around the World Worth Every Minute of Rising

Few things make a home feel warmer than a soft, golden loaf rising slowly on the counter. Sweet yeast breads are made with milk, butter, eggs and a little sugar, so they come out fluffy, rich and just sweet enough for breakfast. Every culture seems to have one tied to a holiday or a family memory, from Jewish challah on Friday nights to Mexican pan de muerto for Day of the Dead. Which one reminds you of home..

Sweet Yeast Breads Start With One Rich Dough

Most sweet breads use the same simple formula: an enriched dough with milk, eggs, butter and sugar. Learn this one and you can braid it, roll it, shape it into buns or bake it in a loaf pan. The key is patience. Enriched dough rises slower than plain bread, so give it a warm spot and time. Are you a patient baker or a peek every five minutes baker?

You will need: You need: 4 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup warm milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup soft butter, 1 egg for brushing.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt. 2. Add milk and eggs and knead 5 minutes. 3. Add butter a little at a time and knead until silky, about 8 more minutes. 4. Rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 5. Shape, rise again, brush with egg and bake at 350 F.

Sweet Yeast Breads From France: Classic Brioche

French brioche is rich with butter and eggs, so it is closer to cake than to bread. A slow overnight rise in the fridge makes it easier to handle and gives it a deeper flavor. Slice it thick for the best French toast of your life. Toast with jam or French toast: which would you choose?

You will need: You need: 3 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup soft butter.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Knead flour, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs and milk 5 minutes. 2. Add butter slowly until smooth and shiny. 3. Chill overnight. 4. Shape into balls and place in a loaf pan. 5. Rise 2 hours and bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.

Braided Brioche Loaf

A three strand braid instantly makes a plain loaf look like it came from a French bakery window. Brush it twice with egg wash for that deep mirror shine. This is a lovely bread to bring to a friend’s house, and it makes the house smell incredible while it bakes. Braided sweet yeast breads also freeze well for up to a month.

You will need: You need: 1 batch brioche dough, 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cream, pearl sugar (optional).

How to make it: Steps: 1. Divide the chilled dough into 3 ropes. 2. Braid loosely and tuck the ends under. 3. Place in a loaf pan or on a tray and rise 1 1/2 hours. 4. Brush with egg wash, rest 10 minutes and brush again. 5. Sprinkle pearl sugar and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Sweet Yeast Breads for Shabbat: Jewish Challah

Challah is baked every week in many Jewish homes for the Friday night Shabbat dinner. It is made with eggs and oil instead of butter and usually sweetened with honey. Two loaves are placed on the table and blessed before the meal. Leftover challah makes the most amazing French toast.

You will need: You need: 4 1/2 cups bread flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup oil, 3 eggs, 3/4 cup warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 egg for brushing.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Knead everything 10 minutes. 2. Rise 1 1/2 hours. 3. Divide into 6 ropes and braid into 2 loaves of 3 strands. 4. Rise 45 minutes. 5. Brush with egg and bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Six Strand Sesame Challah

Want to show off a little? A six strand braid looks complicated, but it follows a simple repeat pattern once you get going. Sesame or poppy seeds add crunch. Poll: braiding bread makes you feel A) like a pro, B) totally confused, or C) ready to watch a video first?

You will need: You need: 1 batch challah dough, 1 egg beaten, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Roll 6 equal ropes and pinch them together at the top. 2. Move the far right rope over two, under one, over two. 3. Repeat from the left side, keep alternating. 4. Tuck ends under and rise 45 minutes. 5. Brush with egg, add seeds and bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Round Holiday Challah

For Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, challah is shaped into a round spiral to represent the circle of the year. It is often studded with raisins and brushed with extra honey for a sweet year ahead. The same round shape works beautifully as a holiday centerpiece for Thanksgiving too. Round sweet yeast breads like this one are full of meaning in many cultures.

You will need: You need: 1 batch challah dough, 3/4 cup raisins, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 egg for brushing.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Knead raisins into the dough after the first rise. 2. Roll one long rope, thicker at one end. 3. Coil it into a spiral, tucking the thin end under. 4. Rise 1 hour. 5. Brush with egg and honey and bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.

Sweet Yeast Breads From Mexico: Colorful Conchas

Conchas are the most famous pan dulce in Mexico, soft round buns topped with a crunchy sugar crust scored to look like a seashell. Bakeries make them vanilla, chocolate, pink and even green. Kids love picking their color. Which color would you grab first?

You will need: You need: 1 batch sweet dough. Topping: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter or shortening, 1 teaspoon vanilla, food coloring or 1 tablespoon cocoa.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Divide dough into 12 balls on a tray. 2. Mix topping into a paste, color as you like. 3. Flatten small discs of topping and press on each bun. 4. Score a shell pattern. 5. Rise 1 hour and bake at 350 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Vanilla Conchas With Cafe de Olla

A single vanilla concha with a cup of cinnamon spiced cafe de olla is a classic Mexican breakfast or evening snack called merienda. Dunking is not just allowed, it is expected. The sugar topping softens in the coffee and the bun soaks up all that warm spice.

You will need: You need: 6 vanilla conchas. Coffee: 4 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/3 cup piloncillo or brown sugar, 1/2 cup ground dark coffee, 2 cloves.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Bake vanilla conchas from the recipe above. 2. Simmer water, cinnamon, sugar and cloves 5 minutes. 3. Turn off heat and stir in coffee. 4. Steep 5 minutes and strain. 5. Serve hot in clay mugs with the conchas.

Mexican Cuernos and Pan Dulce Mix

Walk into any Mexican panaderia and you grab a tray and tongs and pick from dozens of sweet yeast breads. Cuernos, or horns, are rolled like a croissant but with a softer sweet dough and a sugar glaze. Make a batch with your conchas for a homemade bakery spread. A homemade panaderia tray of sweet yeast breads is perfect for a weekend brunch.

You will need: You need: 1 batch sweet dough, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 egg.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Roll dough into a large circle and brush with butter. 2. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and cut 12 wedges. 3. Roll each wedge from the wide end and curve into a horn. 4. Rise 1 hour. 5. Brush with egg, sprinkle sugar and bake at 350 F for 18 minutes.

Pan de Muerto for Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead is coming up on November 1 and 2. Families in Mexico place pan de muerto on their altars next to marigolds and photos of loved ones who have passed. The dough is scented with orange blossom and orange zest, and the crossed bones on top honor those we miss. It is a sweet way to remember.

You will need: You need: 1 batch sweet dough plus zest of 2 oranges and 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, 1 egg, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar for coating.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Shape most of the dough into 2 round loaves. 2. Roll small ropes with knobs for bones and lay them across the top with a small ball in the center. 3. Rise 1 hour. 4. Brush with egg and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. 5. Brush with butter and roll in sugar.

Sweet Yeast Breads From Japan: Hokkaido Milk Bread

Japanese milk bread is famous for being cloud soft and staying fresh for days. The secret is tangzhong, a cooked paste of flour and milk that locks moisture into the dough. Pull a slice apart and it shreds like cotton candy. Have you ever tasted bread this soft?

You will need: You need: Tangzhong: 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 cup milk. Dough: 2 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons butter.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Cook tangzhong ingredients, stirring, until thick like pudding, then cool. 2. Knead with all dough ingredients 12 to 15 minutes. 3. Rise 1 hour. 4. Shape 3 rolled pieces side by side in a loaf pan and rise 1 hour. 5. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Grandma’s cinnamon raisin bread toasts up like a dream, with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar curling through every slice. Brush a little water on the dough before adding the filling so the swirl sticks and does not leave gaps. Toast it and spread with butter while it is still hot. Of all the sweet yeast breads here, this one may be the most nostalgic.

You will need: You need: 1 batch sweet dough with 1 cup raisins kneaded in, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon water.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Roll the dough into a 9 by 16 inch rectangle. 2. Brush with water and sprinkle cinnamon sugar. 3. Roll up tightly from the short side. 4. Rise in a loaf pan 1 hour. 5. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes. Planning holiday mornings? See our holiday breakfast bakes.

Greek Tsoureki Easter Braid

Tsoureki is the Greek Easter bread, flavored with mahlepi (cherry pit spice) and mastiha, and often decorated with a red dyed egg. If you cannot find those spices, orange zest and a little cardamom are lovely too. Last poll: which of these sweet yeast breads will you bake first? A) brioche, B) challah, C) conchas, or D) tsoureki?

You will need: You need: 1 batch sweet dough, zest of 1 orange, 1 teaspoon ground mahlepi or 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1 egg, sliced almonds.

How to make it: Steps: 1. Knead the zest and spice into the dough. 2. Rise until doubled. 3. Braid 3 ropes and tuck the ends. 4. Rise 1 hour. 5. Brush with egg, add almonds and bake at 340 F for 35 minutes.