The New Year's Loaf Tradition

Plus my top 5 favorite recipes of 2024, and how I got out of the holiday funk.

You couldn't tell from the outside, but I turned into a bit of a Grinch this holiday season. After the glory of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), sometimes I dread Christmas. I relish spending time with family and friends, but I loathe the obligations and going through the motions in the name of "tradition."

I felt obligated, not inspired, to bake tons of top-notch cookies and to eat cookies other people baked. (Though I made and ate some tremendously yummy cookies this year!) Social media felt like a chore, and the comparison game was strong, so I signed off for a while. I hunkered down and tested recipes for my book, but without having the distraction of filming and photographing everything. I know I'm not alone in getting into a holiday funk.

Cinnamon rolls always help.

But then I took a look at the past year. Wow! Despite feeling like I haven't made enough progress, I have. Thanks to a team of folks, especially my agent

Sally Ekus

, I have a cookbook in the works. I published nearly 30 articles online and in print, including some of my most cherished recipes, like Stollen, Bauernbrot, Andersonville Coffeecake, Hazlenut Buckwheat Cake, and even my take on those viral Olympic muffins. I shared my love of German bread, lemon verbena, sour cherries, buckwheat, quince, chestnuts, and more. I met chefs and food writers that I admire, and those lovely folks gave me some sage advice.

More than those achievements, I've spent the year connecting as much as I can. I've listened a lot to Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, and am taking his advice to prioritize relationships. I can’t thank my Great American Baking Show cast-mates enough for staying connected with each other. (They’re the best.) I made new friends here in Chicago, on my trip to Germany, via social media, and even through Substack, (this newsletter platform). I've spent time with treasured old friends more often this year than in the past several years combined. I plan to do LOTS more of of all of this in 2025.

A corn-shaped loaf of bread made by a hilarious classmate in Germany.

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The New Year's Loaf Tradition

Every year since I started baking bread, I have a tradition. I mix up some bread dough sometime on New Year's Eve, let it ferment overnight, and bake it (on New Year's Day. It might be sourdough, it might be rye, it might be brioche. It doesn't matter. There's something about this loaf bridging the old year to the new year: the potential, the patience, the growth, the care we put into something that nourishes us. I'll eat it with greens and black-eyed peas for dinner on January first.

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Top 5 Recipes of 2024 (Martin's Version)

I scanned through the dozens of recipes I created for this newsletter and other publications and came up with my top 5 favorites (though, they're all special in their own ways).

5. Toasted Coconut Rice Krispies Treats: Simple, satisfying, quick.

4. Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream: I yearn for summer days when the fresh mint abounds.

3. Breakfast Crisp: This is probably the recipe I have made and eaten the most over the past year. I've tweaked it and refined it since January and the updated version will be in my book. But the original version still slaps.

2. Stollen, specifically my take on Dinkel's Bakery's Famous Stollen.

1. Bauernbrot: My love for and obsession with German bread knows no bounds.

Happy Baking & Happy New Year,
Martin