Christmas Stollen
8 servings
180 minutes
Christmas stollen is a traditional German pastry with a rich history dating back to the 15th century. This fragrant cake with dried fruits, spices, and marzipan symbolizes the holiday and the coziness of winter evenings. Its rich flavor combines the sweetness of honey, the tenderness of butter, and the sophistication of brandy notes. The secret to perfect stollen is long maturation, which makes it even softer and more aromatic. The snow-white coating of powdered sugar resembles winter snow, and each slice fills the home with the warmth of Christmas. Perfect paired with hot tea or aromatic mulled wine, this dessert is not just a treat but a true ritual that creates a festive mood and brings families together for cozy conversations. To fully enjoy its flavor, it's best to let stollen rest for a few days before serving.
1
Soak dried fruits and the zest of one lemon in cognac overnight. Place everything in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Mix eggs, 25 ml of cold milk, and liquid honey in a mixer. Add yeast, 4 grams of salt, and spices. Add flour with more than 13% protein content; this flour is needed to withstand the volume of oil and dried fruits added to the dough. Mix everything on low speed for 3-5 minutes until all ingredients form a rough lump.
- Dried fruits: 150 g
- Lemon: 1 piece
- Cognac: 25 ml
- Chicken egg: 60 g
- Milk: 25 ml
- Honey: 25 g
- Fresh yeast: 13 g
- Ground anise (star anise): 1 g
- Ground cardamom: 1 g
- Ground cloves: 1 g
- Ground allspice: 1 g
- Nutmeg: 1 g
- Wheat flour: 250 g
2
If the dough is too dry or takes a long time to come together, add a little cold milk - about 15 ml. The exact amount will depend on the flour's moisture absorption. Continue kneading on the second or third speed until the dough becomes smooth, which will take about another 10 minutes.
3
Continue mixing the dough at the third speed. Start adding butter to the smooth dough; it should hold its shape but be soft and not hot (temperature — 19–20 degrees). Cut it into cubes and add one at a time for a minute. This is a lengthy process needed to acclimate the dough to the butter so that its structure changes gradually. After about 5 minutes, you can start adding a few cubes at a time. A total of 100 grams of butter needs to be added.
- Butter: 120 g
4
Continue kneading the dough for another 10 minutes until a gluten window appears. This is the state of the dough when it stretches into a thin film without tearing — just like in the photo. After that, gently mix in the dried fruits and zest at low speed, adding them gradually.
- Dried fruits: 150 g
- Lemon: 1 piece
5
Close the dough in a container and leave it at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. Then take it out and knead by hand to release air, stretch into a small rectangle, visually divide into three parts, pull the edges and fold the right part over the left. A small roll will form. Put it back in the container and leave for another hour to an hour and a half, then take it out and repeat the same operation. Leave for another hour to an hour and a half. Take it out and form a ball from the dough; leave for another 40 minutes.
6
Take the dough out and gently flatten it into a rectangle with your hands. Make a depression in the middle for the marzipan. Place the marzipan, rolled into a sausage shape, in it. Cover the marzipan with dough from one side and then the other to resemble a wrap. Tuck the edges of the marzipan under the dough to prevent burning. If dried fruits fall from the dough, remove them and push them inside as well. Leave the dough covered in a container for an hour to an hour and a half. Then send it to an oven preheated to 170–180 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Marzipan: 60 g
7
Take out the stollen and brush it with cold butter while hot. Let the butter absorb and the stollen cool down. Dust with powdered sugar. Optionally decorate with berries, nuts, marzipan, or candied fruits.
- Butter: 120 g