Traditional Frisian Sugarbread

I'm proud of my Frisian roots and even though I like a good French baguette or an American pie, few things can top those traditional foods from your childhood. I know - your teeth might as well fall out at the sight of this super sugary bread. But ohmy. A sticky, flaky crust, the brioche-like inside studded with coarse pearl sugar and a cloud of cinnamon and ginger syrup to flavor the dough. Even though we aren't the only ones baking sugarbread, ask any Dutchman or woman what Frisians eat and 9/10 will answer "suikerbrood" or "sûkerbôle". There are versions of this bread in other parts of the Netherlands and even in Belgium, but apparently we Frisians like quite a bit of the ol' sucrose (although you wouldn't guess it, considering Frisians' general aversion to buttercream). We use about double the amount of sugar other bakers do - a whole lot. Recently, cooks, ice cream makers and bakers have been trying to give a modern twist to the bread by churning it into ice cream, or using it to make the most AMAZING of bread and butter puddings. 

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