Anytime Eggnog Bread Recipe
Last Updated on September 24, 2019
Every year, as the holidays approach, I watch for the appearance of eggnog. Once I have eggnog I can make one of my favorite breakfast breads, eggnog bread. Then the holidays are over and the cycle repeats.
However, what if I could make eggnog bread all year? Over the last few months I’ve tried to recreate the taste of eggnog bread, but without the eggnog. I’ve finally got something close enough to share with you.
Anytime Eggnog Bread
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups half and half (you’re actually going to use a little less, be sure to read the instructions)
4 cups bread flour
½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon allspice
1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
This recipe makes a two-pound loaf. Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first.
Put the two eggs in a measuring cup and lightly beat them. Fill the measuring cup to the one cup mark with half and half. Then add an additional 1/2 cup of half and half. In other words, you’ll be using 1.5 cups of half and half less the amount of the two eggs.
I used the basic cycle and the medium crust setting.
Make sure you check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. It should be a round ball. If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.
This bread smells heavenly while it toasts, filling the room with scents of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add some cream cheese and you’re in heaven!!
I love your bread machine recipes! I make a loaf of your Hawaiian Bread every week! Now I can’t wait to try the Eggnog Bread.
Thanks so much for the kind words. Let me know what you think about the Anytime Eggnog Bread. I can’t wait for the holidays. Then we’ll do side-by-side taste testing.
Thank You for another wonderful recipe. I have a question and want to know if I should use room temp or warm 1/2 half as my Wolfgang BM says to use warm liq on all their bread machine recipe’s.
Thank you again..
Good question! My Zo heats everything up for me so I don’t need to worry about this. I’d try room temperature half and half as heating may curdle it. Let me know if this works as I’m sure you’re not the only one wondering about this.
I use warm liquids, about 80-90F.
Depending where you live 80F might be room temp.
I don’t want to leave the milk out for a long time, so I warm it in the microwave.
But only WARM. I target to get the liquid (milk,water,juice,etc.) to 80-90F, as measured with a dial kitchen thermometer (after I stirred the liquid to eliminate hot/cold spots).
I think I used 70% power for 20 seconds.
But YOU need to test with YOUR microwave to determine the power and time settings.
I started doing this because my 1st bread machine did not pre-heat.
I think the cold liquids did not let the yeast ferment as fast, and I got short loafs. It’s been a while and I am writing from memory.
I also warmed the pan with 100F water, so that the cold pan does not suck the heat out of the warmed liquids.
My 2nd, an older Zojirushi does have a warmer, but I got into the habit of warming things up, so I just kept doing it.
Marsha,
I love eggnog bread.
Thanks for this recipe, now I don’t have to wait till Dec 🙂
Gary, I was hoping you’d see this because you’d mentioned how much you liked this bread. Let me know what you think of it. I’m planning on doing a side-by-side taste off during the holidays.
You don’t say how much flour for a 1.5 loaf? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I am new at this..
Linda, It’s a very good question! Most of the recipes on the site are for two-pound machines. However I have a page that tells you how to adjust the recipes for whatever sized machine you have.
Hi. Just made it. Very pretty. But not very flavorful. Maybe I should add more of the spices. Thanks!