Join 14,081+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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Cranberry Orange Soda Bread + Pecan Pie Babka: My Holiday Bread Lineup 🎄
Published 28 days ago • 6 min read
Hey Reader!
I had a pretty special morning this week. I was back on The Social as a guest to talk all things holiday bread, and I brought a very important assistant with me. My daughter Juniper came along and helped me set up the breads, wrapped the panettone, and basically ran the place. Watching her meet all the hosts and take in the energy of the studio was one of those core memory parenting moments. Honestly, I think she stole the show.
We walked through some of my favourite holiday recipes in order of easy to challenging, because no matter where you are in your baking journey, there is something here for you. From quick bakes like soda bread, to soft and fluffy tangzhong buns, to pecan pie babka, and finally the big one, panettone.
This is truly my favourite baking season. There is something about flour everywhere, the smell of spices warming up the kitchen, and giving away homemade bread that just feels like pure joy. If you missed the segment, I will link it here so you can watch along.
In this week's newsletter, you will find:
Cranberry Walnut and Orange Soda Bread 🍊
Whole Wheat Tangzhong Milk Buns with Seeds 🍞✨
Cranberry Walnut and Orange Soda Bread 🍊
This bread has a special place in my heart. Last year in Ireland, while speaking at Food on the Edge, I tried an unforgettable soda bread at Aniar, the restaurant of Chef, author and PHD holder JP McMahon. It was one of those bites that stops you for a second. After I told him how much I loved it, he wrote a full article on the history of soda bread, which you can read here. It is a great read and really shows how meaningful this loaf is in Irish cooking.
When I came home I started working on a few versions of my own, and this cranberry walnut and orange soda bread quickly became a favourite for the holidays. It has everything you want this time of year: bright citrus, soft bursts of cranberry, and the warm, nutty flavour of toasted walnuts. The crust gets beautifully crisp, but inside it stays tender and moist.
And the best part is how simple it is. No yeast. No starter. No long waits. Just mix, shape, bake, and enjoy. It is the kind of bread you can throw together on a busy morning and still feel like you made something special.
These buns are one of my absolute favourites this time of year. They are soft, pillowy, a little wholesome from the whole wheat, and honestly perfect beside a holiday turkey. My family always jokes that these are “gravy mops” because they soak up every last drop. They are in my cookbook Bread Etc and also on the blog if you want the seeded version.
Milk Buns in a Skillet, Baked for The Social
Now, let us talk about what makes these buns so special.
Tangzhong is a simple cooked mixture of flour and water that you stir into the dough. That tiny step transforms the texture of the bread. It helps the dough hold more moisture, gives you a softer crumb, and keeps the buns fresh for days. The first time I tried it, I could not believe the difference. The dough felt smoother, the rise was better, and the baked buns stayed soft all week. Even my kids started requesting them for sandwiches.
One tip from my own kitchen: let the tangzhong cool before adding it to your dough. If it is too warm, it can slow down or confuse your fermentation. Cool tangzhong equals happy dough.
The blog version has seeds for extra nuttiness, but you can easily leave them out if you want a classic dinner roll. The version in Bread Etc is seed-free and perfect for everyday baking.
This one made everyone on set light up. A pecan pie babka is exactly what it sounds like… rich, gooey, nutty, caramel-filled filled and wrapped inside soft sweet dough. It is one of my favourite holiday showstoppers, and it is straight from my cookbook Bread Etc. If you have the book, you already know how good this one is. If you have not grabbed it yet, now is a perfect time. It also makes an amazing gift for the baker in your life.
For the dough, you can use my challah-based chocolate babka dough, which I will link in the newsletter, along with the classic chocolate babka recipe from the blog if you want to play around with fillings.
The pecan pie version from the book takes things to a new level. Think warm spices, toasted pecans, brown sugar caramel and that signature babka swirl. It looks impressive but it is surprisingly fun to make.
And hey, if you bake it, send me a picture. Truly. Seeing your versions of the book recipes is one of the best parts of what I do.
If you watched the segment, you already know this was the grand finale. Panettone is one of the most magical holiday breads out there. Tall, feather light, deeply fragrant, studded with fruit or chocolate… but it is also famously one of the hardest things you can bake. There is no sugar coating it. This one has humbled me more times than I can count.
It took me years to learn with many failed attempts, collapsed domes, gummy interiors, sluggish starters, over-fermented first doughs, underdeveloped second doughs… all of it. But once you get that perfect bake, it is hard to think of anything more rewarding.
What makes panettone so challenging?
• The dough strength needed is enormous. You are pushing hydration, fat content, sugar, inclusions and fermentation to the edge. • The timing is precise. First dough, second dough, mixing stages, building strength without tearing… everything matters. • The leavening is natural. A stiff starter that requires its own maintenance rhythm. That pasta madre needs to be strong, consistent and well-fed. • The bake itself is an art. Colour, rise, balance of fruit, final texture. One small slip and the whole structure can suffer.
But when it works… wow. There is nothing else like it.
If you want to try panettone this year, here are the tips I shared on The Social:
Use the best ingredients you can. This is not the moment for old flour or cheap candied fruit. Fresh eggs, good vanilla, good butter, and properly made candied citrus make a massive difference.
Mind your fermentation at every stage. Panettone is a fermentation dance. Each rise affects the next one. Do not rush the first dough. Do not panic if the second dough takes longer. Let the dough tell you when it is ready. Strength and elasticity matter more than the clock.
Take care of your pasta madre. Your leaven is everything in this bake. Strong, sweet-smelling and balanced. If it is sluggish, the bake will suffer. If you want to see where I started, I learned from Andrea Tortora. You can grab it here:
If you want a full guided path, my panettone course walks you through everything step by step with the method I use for the hundreds of panettone we produce each holiday season.
This is the time of year to go for it. And I am here to help.
I had a real treat in the studio this week. My friend Mark Hart came by, an absolutely phenomenal baker and a long-time friend. Mark is one of those people who can walk into a kitchen and immediately elevate the room. His skill is next level, especially when it comes to lamination.
We spent the night making croissants together, and honestly, it reminded me how much I love the craft but also how tough it really is. Croissants are one of those things that look simple on the outside but demand so much control over dough strength, temperature, butter consistency, and timing. When everything lines up, it feels like magic. When it does not… it keeps you humble very fast.
Lamination is something I plan to keep working on throughout 2026. I want to push myself to bake more, document more, and get closer to the level I know is possible with practice and patience. Days like this with Mark really fire me up.
And speaking of lamination… I got a new dough sheeter for the studio, which means I will be selling my Eugene Dough Sheeter. If you live in the GTA and have been thinking about getting into laminated doughs, this is a fantastic machine to get you started.
Join 14,081+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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