Bread Machine Christmas Bread: Stollen, Panettone-Style and Cranberry Loaf

By Warm Oven Bakes Editorial Team · Updated 2 November 2026

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A bread machine is a quiet holiday helper. It mixes, kneads and proofs enriched dough while you get on with everything else, and for some recipes it bakes the loaf too. These three Christmas bread recipes for a breadmaker are sized for a standard 1.5-pound loaf setting: a cranberry-orange loaf baked in the machine, a panettone-style sweet bread, and a stollen made on the dough cycle and shaped by hand.

Before you start: bread machine basics

Every machine is a little different. Check your manual for three things before you bake:

1. Ingredient order. Many machines want liquids first, then flour, with yeast added last in a small well on top of the flour so it stays away from the liquid and salt. Others ask for the reverse. Follow your manual.
2. Loaf size. These recipes are written for a 1.5-pound loaf. If your machine's smallest setting is 2 pounds, the recipes will still work, but the loaf will be shorter.
3. Add-in signal. Most machines beep partway through kneading to tell you when to add fruit and nuts. If you add them at the start, the paddle can shred dried fruit and stain the dough.

Use the right yeast

These recipes use instant yeast (also sold as bread machine yeast or rapid-rise yeast). It doesn't need to be dissolved first. If you only have active dry yeast, it can usually be used instead, but the dough may rise more slowly. Check the bread machine guidance on your yeast package.

Why sweet doughs need gentle settings

Enriched doughs with butter, eggs and sugar brown faster than plain bread. Choose a Sweet setting if your machine has one, and pick a light crust. The Sweet cycle is designed for doughs with more sugar and fat, and a light crust setting helps keep the outside from getting too dark.

Weigh your flour

Bread machines are sensitive to the ratio of flour to liquid. A scale gives the most consistent results. If you use cups, spoon flour into the cup and level it. See our guide to measuring flour correctly.

Check the dough ball

About five minutes into kneading, open the lid and look. The dough should form a smooth, slightly tacky ball that cleans the sides of the pan.

• Too dry and crumbly, or the machine is straining: add liquid 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Too wet and sticking to the sides: add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

This one check fixes most bread machine problems, because flour absorbs different amounts of liquid depending on brand and humidity.

Recipe 1: Cranberry-orange Christmas loaf (baked in the machine)

A soft, lightly sweet loaf with orange zest and dried cranberries. It slices well for toast and makes a good gift.

Setting: Sweet (or Basic), 1.5-pound loaf, light crust

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) lukewarm milk
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 3 cups (360 g) bread flour
• 2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast
• Add-in: 3/4 cup (90 g) dried cranberries

Method

1. Add the ingredients to the pan in the order your manual recommends, keeping the yeast away from the salt and liquid.
2. Select the Sweet or Basic setting, 1.5-pound loaf and light crust. Start the machine.
3. Check the dough ball after about 5 minutes and adjust as described above.
4. Add the cranberries at the add-in beep.
5. When the cycle ends, remove the pan with oven mitts, turn the loaf out and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Warm bread is still setting inside and will squash under the knife.

Optional glaze: Whisk 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar with 2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice and drizzle over the cooled loaf.

Recipe 2: Panettone-style sweet bread (baked in the machine)

Traditional panettone uses a long-fermented starter and a special tall mold. This is a simpler, everyday bread inspired by it: rich with eggs and butter, scented with vanilla and orange, and studded with raisins and candied peel.

Setting: Sweet, 1.5-pound loaf, light crust

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm milk
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 cups (360 g) bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast
• Add-ins: 1/2 cup (75 g) raisins and 1/3 cup (55 g) chopped candied orange peel

Method

1. Load the pan in your machine's order and start the Sweet cycle with a light crust.
2. Check the dough ball after 5 minutes. Rich doughs like this often look slightly sticky at first and smooth out as they knead, so wait a minute or two before adding flour.
3. Add the raisins and candied peel at the add-in beep.
4. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Tip: If your raisins are very dry, soak them in warm water or orange juice for 15 minutes, then drain and pat them dry. Wet fruit adds extra liquid to the dough.

Recipe 3: Stollen on the dough cycle

Stollen is a German Christmas bread full of fruit and often wrapped around a log of marzipan. The bread machine does the kneading and first rise; you shape and bake it in the oven, which gives the classic folded shape.

Setting: Dough cycle Oven: 350°F (175°C) Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (160 ml) lukewarm milk
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or mixed spice (optional)
• 2 3/4 cups (330 g) bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast
• Add-ins: 3/4 cup (110 g) mixed dried fruit or raisins, and 1/3 cup (35 g) sliced almonds
• Filling (optional): about 7 oz (200 g) marzipan, rolled into a log about 8 inches long
• To finish: 2 tablespoons melted butter and powdered sugar for dusting

Method

1. Make the dough. Add the dough ingredients in your machine's order and start the Dough cycle. Check the dough ball after 5 minutes. Add the fruit and almonds at the add-in beep.
2. Shape. When the cycle ends, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into an oval about 10 by 8 inches. Lay the marzipan log just off-center along the long side, then fold the larger side over so the top edge sits about 1 inch short of the bottom edge. This gives the classic stollen step.
3. Second rise. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy but not doubled.
4. Bake. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden. An instant-read thermometer in the bread part (not the marzipan) should read about 190°F (88°C). If the top browns too fast, tent it loosely with foil.
5. Finish. Brush the warm loaf with melted butter, let it sit a few minutes, then dust generously with powdered sugar. Cool completely, then dust again.

Stollen is often made a few days ahead. Wrapped tightly once cool, it keeps well for several days at room temperature, and the flavor mellows.

Gift-wrapping homemade Christmas bread

Bread makes a warm, practical gift. Let it cool completely first, or condensation will make the crust soggy.

• Wrap loaves in parchment, then a clear cellophane or bread bag, and tie with twine.
• Add a tag with the bread name, the date and key ingredients (especially nuts or almond-based marzipan).
• For stollen, add an extra dusting of powdered sugar after wrapping in parchment so it still looks snowy when opened.

For a hand-shaped braided loaf, see our Christmas bread recipe for gifts. For more gift ideas from your kitchen, see our edible Christmas gifts.

Troubleshooting

My loaf collapsed in the middle

Usually too much liquid or yeast, or a very warm kitchen. Next time, weigh the flour, measure the yeast carefully and check the dough ball at 5 minutes.

The loaf is short and dense

The dough may have been too dry, or the yeast was old. Check the date on your yeast and add a little liquid if the dough ball looks stiff.

The crust is too dark

Sweet doughs brown quickly. Use the Sweet setting and a light crust. If your machine lacks a Sweet setting, use the Dough cycle and bake in the oven instead.

The fruit disappeared into the dough

It was added too early and shredded by the paddle. Wait for the add-in beep. If your machine has an automatic fruit dispenser, use it.

Helpful gear

• Instant-read thermometer: Shop instant-read thermometers on Amazon
• Digital kitchen scale: Shop digital kitchen scales on Amazon
• Bread machine yeast: Shop bread machine yeast on Amazon
• Bread bags for gifting: Shop bread bags on Amazon

If you'd rather skip the machine entirely, our easy no-knead bread shows how far simple ingredients and time can go.

Read next: Christmas Bread Recipe for Gifts (Easy Braided Yeast Bread) →