Quick and Easy Holiday Breads

ck-Whole-Grain Spelt and Cornmeal Biscuits Image

Keep holiday baking simple with these easy bread recipes including biscuits, muffins, and sweet rolls.

1 of 23

Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Scones with Nutella Glaze

Photo: Daniel Agee, Food Styling: Julia Levy, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Scones with Nutella Glaze Recipe

Just sweet enough, these tender, nutty scones are an ideal (not to mention, deceptively simple-to-make) addition to any fall brunch or coffee hour. In addition to contributing to these scones’ delightfully tender, fluffy texture, the sweet potato delivers delicate flavor that perfectly compliments the toastiness provided by the hazelnut meal and the rich chocolate-hazelnut drizzle. For the mashed sweet potato, you can roast 1 large, skin-on sweet potato wrapped in foil at 425° for about 1 hour (or until tender), and chill in the fridge until cool. Alternatively, for an easy shortcut, simply grab a package of prepared mashed sweet potatoes, such as Simply Potatoes brand, from the grocery store; these will typically be found in the lunchmeat section. While we opted for a light drizzle of the Nutella mixture, you could easily double this mixture and completely glaze the top of each scone for a more decadent treat.

2 of 23

Easy Bread Recipes

Photo: John O'Hagan; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Easy Bread Recipes Recipe
Holiday meals can get a bit hectic, so make your baking a little easier with our bread recipes. For breakast or brunch, take a shortcut and use refrigerated French bread dough for these Easy Orange Rolls.

3 of 23

Pink Lemonade Rolls

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Emily Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pink Lemonade Rolls Recipe

This playful take on the classic orange roll makes for a perfect treat for Mother’s Day, a bridal brunch, baby showers, or the next time you wanna bring a little extra cheer to you weekend breakfast spread.

4 of 23

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr, Jan Gautro, Leigh Ann Ross

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits Recipe
Transform plain biscuits into special holiday biscuits with the addition of pumpkin. These tender biscuits are wonderful topped with butter and honey for breakfast, or filled with a slice of ham for a cocktail buffet dinner.

5 of 23

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Fresh Cranberry Muffins Recipe
Make the most of seasonal cranberries by stirring them into a muffin batter. These festive muffins will be a welcome addition to your holiday table.

6 of 23

Sticky Cinnamon Roll Babka Buns

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Blakeslee Giles; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Sticky Cinnamon Roll Babka Buns Recipe

If you're looking for decadence, you're in the right place. Though the dough requires multiple steps, the result is a bun that is sweeter, stickier, and more gooey than any bun you've had before. Our chefs joke about wanting to take a nap after experiencing the richness of this dessert. Saigon cinnamon is recommended for a stronger spicy-sweet flavor, but regular cinnamon can be easily substituted. Serve with coffee at brunch or as an afternoon treat.

7 of 23

Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontazs; Styling: Amy Burke

Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls Recipe
This recipe uses a package of hot roll mix and is a great recipe for a beginning baker.

8 of 23

Easy Cinnamon Bread

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Easy Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Make a sweet breakfast bread starting with 2 (1-pouncd) packages of refrigerated pizza dough and adding cinnamon, sugar and butter.

9 of 23

Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
The mixture of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup spooned into the bottom of the muffin pans makes these spiced pumpkin muffins extra rich and gooey.

10 of 23

Blue Cheese Biscuits

Blue Cheese Biscuits Recipe
Pair these easy 4-ingredient biscuits with slices of beef tenderloin for a flavorful appetizer to serve at a cocktail buffet.

11 of 23

Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins

Photo: Wendell Webber

Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins Recipe
The combination of whole wheat flour and cornmeal makes these sweet pumpkin muffins hearty, satisfying, and ideal for serving with a holiday brunch or dinner.

12 of 23

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe
Add flavor to basic buttermilk biscuits with mashed pumpkin. It adds a rich, hearty flavor and golden color to the biscuits and makes them ideal for serving with ham at your holiday meal.

13 of 23

Holiday Saffron Cake

Charles E. Walton IV

Holiday Saffron Cake Recipe
This cake is a cross between a bread and a cake, and is a much easier version of traditional Swedish saffron buns. It's not overly sweet, but it is topped with pearl sugar, which you can sometimes find among the icing and cake decorating items in the grocery store.

14 of 23

Chocolate Breakfast Wreath

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Chocolate Breakfast Wreath Recipe
Be sure to soften butter until it's spreadable. The silky dough is a dream to work with, so even beginning bakers can make this beautiful wreath. Try this chocolate version or Citrus-Cranberry.

15 of 23

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce Recipe
Substitute extra cream for rum in the sauce, if you prefer.

16 of 23

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel Recipe
Keep these orange-scented muffins around during the holidays for a quick breakfast or sweet snack.

17 of 23

Spicy Pumpkin Bread

BECKY LUIGART-STAYNER

Spicy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Let the holiday aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves fill your kitchen while you bake loaves of this spiced pumpkin bread.

18 of 23

Tiny Cinnamon Rolls

Photo: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Trinda Gage

Tiny Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
If you need a holiday breakfast in a hurry, these 6-ingredient mini cinnamon rolls are the perfect choice. The secret shortcut is using refrigerated crescent rolls.

19 of 23

Cranberry-Orange Bread

Jennifer Davick

Cranberry-Orange Bread Recipe
Sweetened dried cranberries, grated orange rind and orange marmalade add festive flavor to this hearty quick bread. And if you prefer muffins, you can spoon this same batter into muffin pans instead of a loaf pan.

20 of 23

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Cranberry-Orange Muffins Recipe
Sprinkle the tops of the glazed muffins with coarse sugar to add texture and a little sparkle.

21 of 23

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Photo: Sheri Giblin; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Amy Stone

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe

This is the perfect coffee cake. The lightly tangy raspberry gives a pop of flavor and the decadent cream cheese filling provides texture for a rich, moist cake. Be sure to use raspberry preserves; jam or jelly will sink to the bottom of the pan during cooking. A springform pan allows this cake to rise for a beautiful presentation. Enjoy with family and friends in the morning with coffee or as a snack in the afternoon.

22 of 23

Whole-Grain Spelt and Cornmeal Biscuits

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Whole-Grain Spelt and Cornmeal Biscuits Recipe

Gently pat the dough flat instead of rolling with a rolling pin. Patting preserves all the pockets of fat needed for flaky biscuits, whereas rolling pancakes them into small, dense pucks. Cut the biscuits into squares to avoid any leftover scraps. Spelt flour adds a deep nutty flavor, but you can use white whole-wheat flour if you can't find spelt.

Replay gallery

Account

Quick and Easy Holiday Breads

1 of 23

Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Scones with Nutella Glaze

2 of 23

Easy Bread Recipes

3 of 23

Pink Lemonade Rolls

4 of 23

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

5 of 23

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

6 of 23

Sticky Cinnamon Roll Babka Buns

7 of 23

Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls

8 of 23

Easy Cinnamon Bread

9 of 23

Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

10 of 23

Blue Cheese Biscuits

11 of 23

Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins

12 of 23

Sweet Potato Biscuits

13 of 23

Holiday Saffron Cake

14 of 23

Chocolate Breakfast Wreath

15 of 23

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce

16 of 23

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel

17 of 23

Spicy Pumpkin Bread

18 of 23

Tiny Cinnamon Rolls

19 of 23

Cranberry-Orange Bread

20 of 23

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

21 of 23

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

22 of 23

Whole-Grain Spelt and Cornmeal Biscuits

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Popular in Holidays and Occasions

All Topics in Holidays and Occasions