Martha Bakes Season 3 Episode 9 Holiday Breads

In season 3 episode 9 of Martha Bakes, titled "Holiday Breads," Martha Stewart teaches viewers how to make a variety of festive breads perfect for the holiday season. Baking bread is an art that many home bakers shy away from, but Martha makes it easy and enjoyable.

The episode begins with Martha showing viewers her recipe for panettone, a sweet bread studded with raisins and candied citrus peel that originated in Milan, Italy. Martha demonstrates how to mix the bread dough, adding ingredients such as yeast, sugar, flour, and milk. She also explains the importance of letting the dough rise, a process that can take several hours.

Next up is stollen, a traditional German Christmas bread that is filled with dried fruit and marzipan. Martha walks viewers through the steps of making this dense and flavorful bread, which involves kneading the dough and adding a generous amount of butter. She also shows how to roll the stollen into a distinctive crescent shape and brush it with melted butter before baking.

Martha then moves on to challah, the braided Jewish bread that is traditionally eaten on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. She demonstrates how to make a basic challah dough, which involves mixing flour, yeast, and water and letting it sit for several hours. Martha also shows how to braid the dough into a beautiful and intricate pattern, adding a poppy seed topping for extra flavor.

Finally, Martha shares her recipe for babka, a sweet and rich bread that is popular in Jewish and Eastern European cuisines. She explains how to make the bread dough from scratch, combining ingredients such as flour, sugar, butter, and yeast. Martha also shows how to layer the dough with a sweet filling of chocolate or cinnamon before baking the babka to perfection.

Throughout the episode, Martha offers tips and tricks for baking bread, such as how to work with yeast and how to adjust the recipe based on humidity and altitude. She also shares ideas for serving the breads, such as toasting the panettone and serving it with a dollop of whipped cream or using slices of challah to make French toast.

In "Holiday Breads," Martha Stewart showcases her enduring love for baking and shares her expert knowledge of bread making with viewers. With her clear instructions and encouraging demeanor, even novice bakers will be inspired to try their hand at making these festive and delicious breads.