Christmas traditions @ Bread & Butter

I think of Christmas traditions that endure today, like the tree, the cake, the roast, all of which have their origin in Germany.

Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend. Ponsonby. Anyone not heard of us? We are Auckland's most-talked about part of town. Have a quick nose - and tell your friends! Enjoy your weekend.

A key part of celebrating Christmas is the food, and in our bakery we focus on the traditional recipes and baking traditions of both New Zealand and Germany. We make Christmas mince tarts and Christmas cakes, as well as the classic German marzipan stollen, gingerbread houses, and Christmas cookies. Having these treats only at certain times of the year is what makes them so special in our hearts.

Stollen is a Christmas loaf of the oldest tradition, first baked at the Saxon Royal Court in 1427, we now bake it at Bread & Butter Bakery in a contemporary form, tweaked especially for the Southern Hemisphere Christmas.

Over centuries the ingredients of stollen became richer and richer with the addition of butter and fruit. In 1730, August the Strong, who liked to impress his subjects, ordered the Bakers’ Guild of Dresden to make a giant 1.7-tonne stollen big enough for all 20,000 guests to have a portion to eat. It’s a tradition that continues to this day, although sadly the 586th Dresden Christmas Market has just been cancelled due to the second wave of Covid-19 infections sweeping through Germany.

At Bread & Butter the stollen is not quite as big and is made with organic quark to give it a lighter texture. The yeast leavened – brioche like – the dough is enriched with almonds, nuts, fruit soaked in booze and lots of home made marzipan. Like all the other Bread & Butter breads our stollen is given an extra long fermentation time, which adds to the rich and complex flavour. It’s the perfect surprise to share with loved ones this Christmas, traditional, yet still a little different.

And aren’t we so lucky and privileged to be able to look forward to a Christmas with our loved ones and friends? If you’re looking for a way to lift your Christmas shopping spirits as you look for gifts along the strip, pop into Little Bread & Butter in Ponsonby Central - there is little that can beat a good coffee, and a slice of stollen or one of our special Christmas mince tarts when it comes to sustaining the festive shopping spirit.

Available at the Little Bread & Butter store in Ponsonby Central as well as the main café and bakery at 34 Westmoreland Street in Grey Lynn.

LITTLE BREAD & BUTTER, T: 09 376 4007, Market 7 Ponsonby Central

BREAD & BUTTER BAKERY AND CAFÉ, T: 09 378 9111, 43 Westmoreland Street West

www.breadandbutter.nz