Teddy Bear Bread — The Recipes We Carry Forward

The recipe notebook sits on the kitchen counter — two hundred entries now, the second volume started, the pages filling with the recipes that have come from every woman who has ever shared a kitchen with me: Rosa, Doña Pilar, Doña Mercedes, Lupita, Andrea, Sofia, the women at church, the customers who say "my mother used to make this" and who share the recipe with the particular generosity of women who understand that recipes are not property — they are inheritance.

Of all the recipes in that notebook — the jams and the sweets and the platters — it is the bread recipes I return to most, because bread is the thing you make on a Tuesday, the thing that fills a kitchen with something that feels like permanence. This Teddy Bear Bread came from one of those women who said “my mother used to make this” and then pressed the recipe into my hand like it was something precious, which it was. It is the kind of bread you bake with a child beside you, or alone on a quiet afternoon, and either way it reminds you that the hands that taught you were once taught by someone else.

Teddy Bear Bread

Prep Time: 30 min + 1 hr 30 min rise | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 2 hr 20 min | Servings: 8 bears

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
• 16 raisins or mini chocolate chips (for eyes)
• 8 raisins (for noses)

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, warm milk, and sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit 5–7 minutes until foamy.
2. Mix the dough. Add the egg, softened butter, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Knead. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should spring back when poked.
4. First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Shape the bears. Punch dough down and divide into 8 equal pieces. For each bear, pinch off two small balls for ears and one small ball for the snout. Roll the remaining piece into a round body/head shape and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Attach ears and snout, pressing gently to adhere.
6. Add features. Press two raisins or chocolate chips into each head for eyes and one raisin for the nose.
7. Second rise. Cover shaped bears loosely with a towel and let rest 25–30 minutes until puffed.
8. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush each bear gently with egg wash. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 225 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 215mg