Well team, we made it! It’s been a marathon month of baking, and I, for one, am ready to take a long winter’s nap (maybe after one more slice of Moravian sugar cake). I’ve seen some of those bronzed, dimpled beauties on your holiday tables and I’m so touched. Keep sending those photos! (By submitting photos to us via email, you agree to our reader submission terms here.)

Before I hand it off to my colleague, Genevieve Ko, I want to say a quick thank you. You all have helped turn this newsletter into more than a just a weekly email — it’s a community of bakers that puts a smile on my face when things get crazy. I’m spending the last of 2025 reflecting on these last few months, plotting some really fun things for next year and finally getting around to answering some of your emails. But mostly I’m looking forward to a lot more Bake Time. Bring us home, Genevieve! VAUGHN VREELAND

Hello, fellow bakers. It’s great being here with you in the holiday lull that is hopefully leaving you with enough time off to fulfill baking aspirations. This season, the brilliant cookbook authors Yossy Arefi and Nicola Lamb put together a whole spread of showstoppers: tiramisù pie; Dubai chocolate cake; pastis Gascon (crispy apple pie); creamy yuzu and raspberry tart; and giant Mont Blanc.

I plan to bake at least one to bring to a party; at home, however, I’ve hit a sugar wall. But because I still want to roll out dough, smell its golden glow as it bakes and eat it warm out of the oven, I’m going to go savory instead with my sesame scallion buns. When I created these, I wanted to replicate the Chinese scallion pancakes I grew up eating in the form of a yeasted spiral.

To capture the aroma of scallion pancakes, I slip thinly sliced scallions into shimmering hot oil with salt. This quick sizzle not only brings out their savory side, it also preserves their grassy hue. The scallions are then rolled into the dough and the oil is brushed over the freshly baked buns. It’s an extra step, but one worth doing. If the scallions were baked into the buns uncooked, they’d end up steamy and khaki green, with the oil holding the sharpness of raw alliums. (You can watch them come together here.)

View This Recipe: Sesame Scallion Buns

The yeasted dough is enriched with butter, milk and eggs, but in smaller quantities than is typical of brioche. This makes for a softer bread with a little more chew, closer to the down pillow effect of Parker House rolls. Though the dough is a touch tacky before its first rise, it’s easy to roll thin after it proofs, and that stickiness helps seal in the scallions.

Cutting the rolled log into slices makes for pretty spirals, but you can take it to the next level with more dramatic shaping. Slice the whole log in half lengthwise, then cut each of those long strips with exposed scallions crosswise into six pieces (for 12 total). Gently stretch a piece a bit longer and spiral with the exposed scallions facing up and out the tuck the end under the bun. The effect will be like a blooming flower.

However you shape them, they’ll be delicious and welcome your additions: Swipe them through chile crisp or the runny yolk of fried eggs. Sprinkle Parmesan over the scallions for an umami hit, or try sesame seeds for an extra pop of nuttiness. I’m thinking about making mini buns for New Year’s Eve and spooning a little crème fraîche and caviar on top.

Thanks for reading (and baking)! Hope you have the happiest New Year. Vaughn will be back next week, and I’ll still be baking along with you all.

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