Eggnog Bread — The Holiday Table That Holds Everything We’ve Survived

Thanksgiving 2023. The annual tradition continues in this kitchen that has held every holiday since I started cooking through cancer and came out the other side with a cast iron skillet and a refusal to stop. I am 40 and Thanksgiving means what it has always meant: too much food, the right people, and the gratitude spoken aloud because life taught me that gratitude unspoken is gratitude wasted.

The table is full. Mason (12) and Lily (10) are here, growing taller and more themselves with each passing year. Tom is here, beside me, where he has been since the day he showed up with wildflowers and patience and the quiet understanding that love is not a grand gesture but a daily one.

Brett is here — always here, every holiday, every Wednesday, the constant brother in the wheelchair who has been my anchor since we were children on a ranch that no longer exists. Kyle calls from wherever the Army has him, and his voice on the phone is the voice of the brother who left and came back and left again, and the leaving and returning is the rhythm of this family.

I made roasted Brussels sprouts this week, because Thanksgiving demands the food that says: I am here, you are here, we are together, and together is the only word that matters. The recipe is the same as last year and the year before and all the years stretching back to the ranch kitchen where Diane stood at 6 AM making cinnamon rolls for a family that ate them without knowing they were eating love. I know now. I've always known. And I make the food and serve it and watch my family eat and think: this. This is why I survived. For this table. For this food. For these people. For this.

There is always a sweet thing on the Thanksgiving table alongside the savory — something that says the meal is a celebration and not just a meal. This eggnog bread is that thing for us: warmly spiced, tender, and carrying all the richness of the season in every slice. I bake it the morning of, and the smell alone is enough to pull Mason and Lily out of bed before I have to call them twice. Brett gets the first slice. He always does. Some traditions are not written down anywhere; they just become true through repetition, which is the only way the best traditions ever form.

Eggnog Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until evenly combined.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add the eggnog, melted butter, vanilla extract, and rum extract if using. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
4. Fold together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing will make the bread tough.
5. Fill the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with the spatula. Lightly dust the top with a pinch of extra nutmeg if desired.
6. Bake. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top begins to brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil after the 35-minute mark.
7. Cool before slicing. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let it cool for at least 20 additional minutes before slicing. This helps the crumb set so slices hold together cleanly.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 245 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg