Sweet Yeast Breads

The addition of sweet ingredients in bread is popular all over the world. Many of them are regional or festive specialities, and breads of this kind include stollen from Germany, fruit breads from Britain, pear bread from Switzerland and walnut bread from France.

Many are popular at a specific time of the year, such as Christmas or Easter, or make ideal teatime treats. Fruity, spicy yeast breads make wonderful presents, too.

Some very rich, sweet doughs, such as for hot cross buns, start with a spongy flour and yeast mixture. This gives the yeast an extra boost so it develops a light texture even with all the rich ingredients. Dry ingredients can be mixed with the flour before the yeast is added but when a large quantity of dry, heavy ingredients are to be included, they should be kneaded into the dough after the first rising. Otherwise, they can hinder the rising of the yeast.