A delicious and festive yeast bread, with cherries, raisins and a vein of brown sugar and cinnamon running through it.
I received an email from a lovely reader recently, commenting on my Chelsea Buns recipe. She told me that when her daughter was young, she called Chelsea buns “Jolly Bread”. I thought that was an absolutely fabulous name!
I also thought I should make an actual Jolly Bread. And that’s pretty much all it took for this loaf to come to life.
Borrowing some parts from those same delicious Chelsea Buns, this loaf has a vein of brown sugar and cinnamon, and is filled with raisins and lots pretty red and green glacé cherries (left whole, because my taste-tasting husband insisted that was the way to go :). Then I chopped it all up, borrowing from my recent Chunky Apple Bread.
It turned out to be a wonderfully festive bread, perfectly delicious and another simple, but special holiday indulgence.
Ingredient Notes
Cherries – you can use either red and/or green glacé cherries or maraschino cherries. If using glacé, there is no need to rinse. For maraschino cherries, set them out on a piece of doubled up paper towel for a bit before using, to drain off some of the excess liquid.
Raisins – they are a great addition to this bread, but if you aren’t a fan, simply omit.
You will also need: Active dry or regular instant yeast, all-purpose flour, egg (1), milk, water, white sugar, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Step-by-Step Photos
This is a visual summary of the steps to shape/cut the loaf.
Baker’s Tips
- When you roll the filled dough, roll as tightly as possible, lifting slightly as you roll, so you don’t “snowplow” the filling. This will avoid large gaps in your finished bread.
- This loaf will need somewhere around 45 minutes in the oven, covering with foil after 30-35 minutes, so it doesn’t over-brown. So while it may look done much earlier than that, be sure not to rush it out of the oven. If you have an instant read thermometer, test and look for a dough temperature of at least 200F.
- Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing, to avoid a gummy crumb.
- Enjoy this bread out of hand, with a generous spread of butter, or you can also enjoy it toasted. If you have a bit left-over, it would make a nice bread pudding, too.
- This bread freezes beautifully.
Get the Recipe: Jolly Bread
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry or instant yeast, not rapid/quick-rising
- 1/2 cup water, lukewarm (about 105F)
- 1/4 cup milk, lukewarm (about 105F) or more water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, approx. plus more, as needed
Filling:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into 3 pieces
- Raisins, about 1/3 cup
- Whole glacé or maraschino cherries, red and/or green, about 20 total
Glaze after baking:
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 2 Tbsp hot water
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the kneading hook, add the lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast over-top and let stand 5 minutes. Combine the milk and 2 Tbsp butter and warm, either in the microwave or a saucepan. Warm only to lukewarm (about 105F). Add milk/butter mixture to yeast. Add egg, sugar, and salt and mix to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix in, scraping down bowl as needed. Add a 2nd cup of flour and mix in. Continue adding flour in small increments, as needed, until you have a moist dough that wraps around the hook and cleans the bowl well. Remove to a floured worked surface and knead 1 minutes, then form into a ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir to mix. Add 3 Tbsp butter to the bowl and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the brown sugar mixture, until you have an even crumb, with pea-sized pieces of butter. Set aside.
- *If using maraschino cherries, place on a piece of doubled-up paper towel to sit, to drain off some of the liquid before using.
- Prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan by greasing or spraying with baking spray, then lining with a sheet of parchment paper, covering the bottom and the long sides and extending past the top by an inch or so. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Remove dough to a lightly floured cutting board. Deflate by pressing down on it. Roll into a rectangle about 10x15-inches. Scatter brown sugar mixture evenly over-top of the dough. Scatter with raisins and whole cherries. Starting from the long side, roll up jelly-roll style, lifting slightly as you roll, so you don't "snowplow" the filling as you go. Pinch the seam together. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into random 1-inch chunks. Scoop up the chunks and place into the prepare loaf pan. Re-arrange the top as needed, so you don't have any pieces sticking up too high, as they tend to over-brown. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Bake loaf pan on top of the baking sheet (to catch any bubble-overs) for about 45 minutes, loosely covering the top with aluminum foil after 30 minutes of baking, to prevent over-browning. *Loaf will look done before it actually is. It will need a good 40-45 minutes in the oven to cook through, or if you have an instant read thermometer, test it in the centre. It should be at least 200F. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Mix together the sugar glaze and lightly brush onto the top of the loaf, for a little shine (optional). Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This bread is fantastic! A delicious festive treat. The crumb is soft, slightly open, and moist. The dough is supple, smooth and easy to work with. I plumped the raisins in rum, and added a bit of vanilla, fiori de sicilia, nutmeg and cardamom to the dough. My all-purpose flour is lighter in protein than most so I used half A/P and half bread flour. I have a light hand when measuring flour and had to add additional flour when kneading to get the dough to clear the bowl. The dough took a bit longer to rise than noted in the recipe. The bread was baked in 35 minutes. The top had to be tented with foil after 20 minutes. Setting the loaf pan on a baking sheet is a good tip. The sugar glaze gives the baked loaf a beautiful shine. Excellent!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sadie! Your loaf sounds lovely :) Thanks.
Here’s a dumb question. I’m guessing that the log is sliced into portions like cinnamon rolls. When the slices are placed in the loaf pan, are they positioned horizontally with the cut side up, or are they stacked vertically?
Oops! Just noticed the visuals. Please ignore my dumb question!
I love how fun this bread is!! Perfect for any festive occasion!! Happy New Year to you and yours, my friend!
Thanks so much, Annie :)
How fun! What a great holiday recipe. You are the bread queen Jennifer. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and that you have a wonderful Happy New Year!
Thanks so much, Tricia and you, too :)
Such a great name for such a delicious looking bread Jennifer! I love the added cherries. So festive! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann and you, too :)
It does look so jolly! What a great idea, Jennifer. I definitely want the glaze on mine!
Thanks so much, Milena :)
This is a awesome bread Jennifer! Perfect! And we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much, Anna and Merry Christmas to you and yours, too!
I had another Christmas morning recipe all planned and now I see this! I’m guessing you haven’t tried it because you would have mentioned it if you had, but thoughts on this being overnight in the fridge after final shaping but before baking? THanks for another wonderful year of recipes. Merry Christmas!
HI Carolyn and you’re right, I haven’t done it. In fact, I hardly ever do an over-night rise with my bread. My limited experience is that it works just fine, though. I tend to go the bake and freeze route to make ahead, since bread freezes so beautifully. I just take it out of the freezer the night before and it’s ready for eating by morning. Do enjoy and thanks so much :) Merry Christmas to you and yours, as well!