4 Dutch Homemade Bread, Cakes and Pastries

By
Karin Engelbrecht
Karin Engelbrecht
Magazine editor, restaurant reviewer, and food writer who focuses on Dutch cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/18/22

The Netherlands is perhaps best known for its cheese, but its butter should be equally famous, and where there is good butter, great baking can't be far behind. Here are a few of our favorite recipes for Dutch teatime treats.

  • 01 of 04

    Classic Dutch Apple Pie

    Dutch Apple Pie

    The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

    That most classic of delicacies, the classic Dutch apple pie recipe sports a flaky homemade crust with the signature streusel crumb topping. Granny Smith apples are used in this recipe for their tartness. There's just nothing like the smell of apple pie baking in the house. Get ready with the vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to top off this delicious apple pie. 

  • 02 of 04

    Whole Wheat Bread

    Freshly baked Hartog's bread.

    Fred Tiggelman / Hartog's

    This traditional whole wheat bread recipe comes from Hartog's, an artisanal bakery in Amsterdam that specializes in whole wheat bread. Its almost cult-like status means that people will sometimes line up around the block in the pouring rain to get their eager mitts on one of these wholesome creations. Dense and hearty, this bread is sure to become a favorite in your household. Five ingredients, a few minutes of kneading, with 90 minutes total of rising time and a bake time of around 40 minutes, and you and your family will be slathering on the butter on slices of this bread.

  • 03 of 04

    Bossche Bollen

    Bossche bollen

    wvanbragt / Getty Images

    Imagine a supersized profiterole, dunked in glossy dark chocolate and served up for your sticky-fingered enjoyment. These traditional tennis ball-sized cream-filled pastries have been made in Den Bosch, where they're known as sjekladebollen ("Bossche Bollen or chocolate balls") for at least a century. It takes a bit of prep time to make these pastries, but it's worth it. These can be a bit messy to eat, and the Dutch tend to turn them upside down so the cream doesn't fall out of the bottom.

    Enjoy them with a cup of coffee or with some sliced strawberries on the side for a dessert.

  • 04 of 04

    Banketstaaf (Dutch Flaky Pastry Log With Almond Paste)

    Dutch Almond Paste-Filled Pastry Log (Banketstaaf) Recipe

     The Spruce Eats

    With its flaky puff pastry shell and squidgy center of almond paste, our homemade version of the classic Dutch banketstaaf is a delicious addition to your Easter or Christmas holiday table. Grab some good-quality puff pastry from the store and some almond paste, preferably Dutch amandelspijs, an egg, apricot jam, and confectioners' sugar and that's all the ingredients needed to make this scrumptious pastry log. 

    Roll, bake, and brush on warm apricot jam then dust with the confectioners' sugar, then slice and enjoy with coffee.