Traditional Christmas Stollen
5 servings
35 minutes
Traditional Christmas stollen is the true embodiment of the holiday in every bite. Its history dates back to the 15th century when German bakers created this fragrant bread with candied fruits, nuts, and spices. Stollen has a rich flavor—a combination of the sweetness of raisins and cranberries, warmth from cinnamon and nutmeg, creaminess from butter, and a hint of citrus freshness. It is soft, slightly moist and dense when sliced, topped with a snowy layer of powdered sugar. This dessert is an enduring symbol of Christmas in Germany; it is prepared in advance to allow the flavors to fully develop. It is best served with hot beverages like tea or mulled wine while enjoying the coziness of winter evenings.
1
Pour the flour into a bowl and crumble the yeast into it with your fingers. Mix in the milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs, and citrus zest with a scraper; when the dough starts to form, transfer it to a work surface with the scraper and knead. Alternatively, mix everything in a mixer with a dough attachment until smooth and homogeneous.
- Wheat flour: 1000 g
- Fresh yeast: 20 g
- Milk: 500 ml
- Butter: 200 g
- Sugar: 150 g
- Salt: 10 g
- Chicken egg: 6 pieces
- Lemon zest: 1 piece
- Orange zest: 1 piece
2
Lightly dust the work surface with flour and shape the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour in a bowl and place the ball there. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1–1.5 hours.
3
Dust the work surface with a little flour. Place the dough with a scraper and shape it into a square with your fingers.
4
In another bowl, mix the filling ingredients. Sprinkle it over the dough and fold it several times to fully combine the filling with the dough. Form a ball from the dough and let it rise in a lightly floured bowl for another 30 minutes.
- Seedless raisins: 150 g
- Dried cranberries: 150 g
- Almond: 150 g
- Cinnamon: 1.5 teaspoon
- Nutmeg: 1.5 teaspoon
- Vanilla sugar: 3 teaspoons
- Rum essence: 0.5 teaspoon
5
Lightly sprinkle the work surface with flour, place the dough on it, and divide it into 3 equal parts.
6
Place each piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface with the smooth side down and flatten it into a rectangle measuring 15x20 cm with your fingers. Roll the dough into a log and pinch the edges to seal the seam. Place the stollen seam side down on a greased baking tray. If baking in a round pan, gently roll the log on the table to stretch it slightly in length to fit the pan size. Place the dough in the greased pan and pinch the edges to create a neat seam. Cover with a towel and let rise for 2-2.5 hours until doubled in size.
- Butter: 200 g
7
Place the stollen on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 170° for 30-35 minutes until they turn light golden. Remove the finished stollen from the oven and generously brush with melted butter. Immediately sprinkle with powdered sugar. If baking in a mold, first remove from the mold. Cool on a rack.
- Butter: 200 g
- Sugar: 150 g