Chapter 7: Sweet Breads and Gift Breads

When most people think of yeast breads, peasant rounds and sandwich loaves come to mind first, but enticing coffeecakes and festive sweet breads can be made with yeast, too. In fact, some of the most traditional holiday cakes—panettone and Mardi Gras King's cake—are actually rich yeasted breads.

Besides being aerated with yeast, the cakes and coffeecakes here differ from chemically leavened cakes in that the doughs tend to be less sweet. Yeast organisms don't grow well in the presence of a lot of sugar because as the sugar dissolves, it draws up water the yeast organisms need. More than about 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour can cause yeast dehydration, even though the dough may still look very moist. So, don't be tempted to just toss in extra sugar, and follow the directions for incorporating it carefully.

It is possible to increase the level of sweetness by adding honey to a dough, or by tucking a sweet filling inside it. Another easy approach is to top the finished bread or cake with a sweet icing or glaze.

In addition to a nice selection of coffeecakes and yeasted cakes, check out the gift bread recipes at the end of the chapter. These feature easy, ready-to-use bread mixes that are attractively layered in clear jars. The recipients of these gift kits simply add water and oil and stir to create a delectable loaf of homemade bread.