Christmas is the one time of year when even confident bakers start planning a fortnight ahead. These are the sourdough bakes we make for it, from a tall panettone for the brave to a stuffing that is really just a very good use for stale bread. Every recipe below starts with a lively sourdough starter or a sourdough loaf, and each has its own timings so you can fit it around everything else.
Sourdough panettone
The big project. A tall, buttery, orange-scented loaf made from an ordinary active starter rather than a special Italian mother dough. It takes about three days, mostly waiting, and you will want a stand mixer. Hang it upside down to cool and it keeps for about a week. Get the recipe →
Sourdough stollen
Rum-soaked fruit, toasted almonds and a seam of marzipan, finished with melted butter and a thick coat of sugar. Much more forgiving than panettone, and it gets better if you bake it a few days early. Get the recipe →
Christmas wreath with baked Camembert
Sixteen soft garlic-butter rolls baked in a ring around a whole Camembert. Mix the dough the night before; everyone tears off a roll and dunks it. The easiest showstopper here. Get the recipe →
Cranberry and walnut sourdough
A crusty, open loaf studded with soaked cranberries and toasted walnuts, made for the cheeseboard. Bake it a day or two before Christmas and toast the last slices on Boxing Day. Get the recipe →
Sourdough stuffing with sausage, sage and chestnut
Stale sourdough soaks up the stock without going to paste and bakes into a crisp, craggy top. Put it together on Christmas Eve and bake it while the turkey rests. Get the recipe →
Boxing Day leftovers sandwich
Turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry and Brie on thick sourdough, pan-fried in butter until golden, with a cup of hot gravy for dipping. Possibly the best meal of the whole holiday. Get the recipe →
Sourdough cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning
Soft, gooey rolls that can be shaped the night before and baked while the presents are opened. Our sourdough cinnamon rolls are the house favourite, and there is a gluten-free sourdough cinnamon roll recipe too, so nobody at the table misses out. Get the recipe →
Plan your Christmas baking
- About a week before: bake the stollen, wrap it well and leave it to mature somewhere cool.
- Five or six days before: make the panettone (it takes three days) and start saving the ends of your loaves for stuffing.
- 23 December: bake the cranberry and walnut loaf, and mix the wreath dough in the evening.
- Christmas Eve: bake the wreath for drinks, assemble the stuffing and put it in the fridge, and shape the cinnamon rolls for the morning.
- Christmas Day: bake the cinnamon rolls first thing, and the stuffing while the turkey rests.
- Boxing Day: the leftovers sandwich.
Looking for something else? Browse our full sourdough recipe library.
A starter makes a good stocking filler
Our live San Francisco starter is usually bubbling and ready to bake with about two hours after it is activated with 75 g flour and 75 g warm water. See our sourdough starter gift ideas, or get one for your own Christmas baking.
FAQ
When should I start my Christmas sourdough baking?
Stollen can be baked about a week ahead, and panettone five or six days ahead. Bake the cranberry and walnut loaf a day or two before Christmas, mix the wreath dough on the evening of the 23rd or 24th, and assemble the stuffing on Christmas Eve so it only needs baking on the day.
How do I keep my sourdough starter active in a cold kitchen?
Feed it with water at about 27°C and keep it somewhere around 24–26°C, such as the oven with only the light switched on (check with a thermometer first) or near, not on, a radiator. In winter, judge each stage by how the starter and dough look rather than by the clock.
Can I freeze Christmas sourdough bakes?
Yes. Stollen freezes well for up to two months before the icing sugar goes on, the cranberry and walnut loaf freezes well sliced, and the wreath rolls can be baked and frozen without the cheese, then warmed through and finished with a fresh Camembert.
Which Christmas sourdough recipe is easiest for a beginner?
The Camembert wreath is the most forgiving bake, and the stuffing and Boxing Day sandwich only need a loaf of sourdough, not a starter. Panettone is the most demanding, so save it until you are comfortable with enriched doughs.
Can I give a sourdough starter as a Christmas present?
Yes, and it makes a good stocking filler. Our live San Francisco starter activates with 75 g flour and 75 g warm water and is usually bubbly in about two hours, so whoever receives it can start baking the same day.
