This is one of my favorite breads of all time: Dutch sugar bread. This easy sugar bread recipe is rich, buttery, and wonderfully soft, which is exactly how I like my sugar bread.
While I wouldn’t like to call this recipe a truly authentic Frisian recipe (I’ve made quite a few changes until I really liked it myself) there are so many reasons why you’ll want to make this delicious Dutch sugar bread.
Dutch sugar bread (Fries suikerbrood) is a traditional sweet yeast bread from the Netherlands, most famously associated with the northern province of Friesland.
Known there as sûkerbôle, Frisian sugar bread is filled with crunchy pieces of sugar and traditionally flavored with cinnamon. It also has a special place in Frisian culture, where the bread was traditionally given to mothers after the birth of a baby girl.
For making this special bread you’ll need the following ingredients. Make sure to double-check the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
Making the Dutch sugar bread is not complicated but it does require a few steps and a bit of time.
The first step is to make the dough which is essentially an enriched bread dough. Add all the ingredients to a bowl of a stand mixer and knead for about 15 minutes. You can also knead by hand but you’ll need about 20 minutes of kneading to get a soft pliable dough.
Lightly grease a bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place or until it is doubled in size. Cover the bowl with a clean dry kitchen towel.
For making the filling you combine the pearl sugar with the cinnamon and the melted butter. Make sure the butter is not piping hot, you don’t want the sugar to melt.
Prepare the loaf pan and grease it. Line the pan with parchment paper. Now generously grease the parchment with melted butter and sprinkle some soft brown sugar over the bottom of the pan. You can also add some cinnamon with the sugar at this stage. That gives it a delicious extra cinnamon flavor.
Gently press the risen dough down and shape it into a rectangle. Spread one-third of the pearl sugar mixture over the dough. Fold the dough over itself twice and gently flatten it again. Spread half of the remaining filling over the dough and fold it twice again. Repeat one more time with the remaining filling.
Shape the dough into a rectangle that is the same width as your loaf pan and roll it up. Place it seam-side down in the pan. Make sure no pieces of pearl sugar are sticking out of the top, as they may burn. Cover the bread again and let it rise for another hour.
Now the final step after the sugar bread has risen again is to brush the top of the bread with a little milk. Bake for 40 minutes at 400˚F/220˚C (conventional oven). Keep an eye on the top of the bread. If it gets too dark you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
The fun part of Dutch sugar bread is that you can also use it to create other recipes. I have a few that I will be sharing soon but for now I have some other delicious bread recipes you might want to try.
Homemade bread does get stale quicker than the store-bought versions due to the fact that there is no additives added to the bread. You can store the bread outside of the fridge in a plastic bag or airtight container for up to 1-3 days. After one day the bread will probably become a bit dry but you can easily place it in the microwave so it will become soft again.
Yes you can freeze Dutch sugar bread perfectly! I love freezing it in slices (make sure to use a freezer safe bag) so I always have a delicious slice of sugar bread ready to go.
Pearl sugar isn’t available at every supermarket, but you can usually find it at specialty baking stores and online. A quick Google search should also give you plenty of options.
No, not unless you replace it with another type of syrup. I simply buy ginger syrup at the supermarket, where it’s usually found in the Asian foods section. You won’t taste a strong ginger flavor in the finished sugar bread, but it is an important part of the original recipe.
This recipe is inspired by Frisian sugar bread. The difference between Frisian and Brabant sugar bread is that the Brabant version contains less sugar and no cinnamon. Brabant sugar bread is also commonly sold in the Dutch province of Limburg, where it is known as “klontjesmik” (bread with lumps).
I used a simple 10-inch/ 25 cm loaf pan
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