For many of us, the holiday season is a time to dust off our special recipes. Whether they're written on a notecard and passed down through the generations, or borrowed from the WE Energies cookie cookbook, many of our favorite holiday recipes only get to shine once a year.
Now is also the time for holiday breads — fruitcakes, spiceloafs, and stollens that have a long history going back centuries. Traditionally, they served as a festive variation on breads made throughout the year. To learn more, Lake Effect’s Audrey Nowakowski spoke with Kyle Johnson Cherek. He's a culinary historian, food essayist and the host WUWM's new food history podcast, Classic Eats.
"During the year, you would bake bread, and then at Christmas time — which is the very decadent time — you would add in the trifecta of sugar, butter, and eggs," he says.
Although many holiday loaves have a polarizing reputation, Cherek encourages folks to keep an open mind. Because a true, well-made cake made without highly processed ingredients are truly delicious.
"They're a little rich, but that's what the season's about," he says. "And I think if more people will give an actual Christmas cake — stollen, Twelfth Night cake — a chance, they would say, 'Wow.' With a cup of coffee? One slice is all I need, but it's really good.'"
You can catch Classic Eats on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. on 89.7 WUWM. You can also listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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