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Stollen
Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread that captures the essence of the holidays with its rich blend of dried fruits, nuts, and warm spices. This festive loaf is made extra special with a layer of almond paste running through the center and a generous coating of butter and powdered sugar on top. Its flavors and beautiful presentation make it a perfect holiday gift or centerpiece for your celebrations.
One of the best things about Stollen is its ability to improve with time, making it an ideal choice for holiday baking. Traditionally, after baking and cooling, stollen is wrapped tightly and allowed to rest for up to a couple of weeks before being eaten. During this period, the flavors of the dried fruits, spices, and rum meld together, creating a richer, more harmonious taste throughout the loaf. However, the aging process can be skipped if you’re eager to enjoy it sooner—freshly baked Stollen is still incredibly delicious and full of festive flavor.
Stollen Recipe
While stollen may seem intimidating at first glance, it’s surprisingly simple to make—so don’t let the longer ingredient list scare you off! Each step is straightforward, and the result is truly worth it.
Homemade stollen is a world apart from the store-bought variety, with flavors and textures that are unmatched. If this is your first time making it, you’re in for a real treat. Feel free to customize the fruit mixture based on what you have on hand, or substitute the rum with orange juice or apple cider for a non-alcoholic version. Don’t have candied citrus peel? Fresh orange and lemon zest make an excellent alternative.
This recipe makes one large loaf, but it can easily be divided into two smaller loaves or doubled if you’d like to bake extra to share and enjoy.
Yield
1 loaf
Suggested Timeline
Preparing stollen begins the day before baking by soaking dried fruit in rum to enhance its flavor. This step is flexible—you can start the night before or even a few days ahead.
Ingredients
Fruit Mixture:
| Ingredient | Grams | U.S. Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Dried cherries | 40 g | ¼ C |
| Dried cranberries | 50 g | ⅓ C |
| Currants | 35 g | ¼ C |
| Candied citrus peel | 35 g | ¼ C |
| Rum | 40 g | 3 TBSP |
Dough:
| Ingredient | Grams | U.S. Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Milk, warmed to 95°F (35°C) | 114 g | ½ C |
| Instant yeast | 7 g | 1 TBSP |
| Egg | 50 g | 1 each |
| Sugar | 42 g | 3 TBSP + 1 tsp |
| All-purpose flour | 255 g | 2 C + 2 TBSP |
| Salt | 5 g | 1 tsp |
| Cinnamon | 1 g | ½ tsp |
| Nutmeg or mace | 0.5 g | ¼ tsp |
| Cardamon | 0.5 g | ¼ tsp |
| Butter, softened | 76 g | 5 ½ TBSP |
| Slivered almonds, toasted & chopped | 45 g | ⅓ C |
| Almond paste | 90 g | ⅓ C |
For Finishing:
| Ingredient | Grams | U.S. Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Butter, unsalted | 42 g | 3 TBSP |
| Powdered sugar | As needed | As needed |
Equipment
- Brod & Taylor High Capacity Baking Scale
or Precision Kitchen Scale - Mixing bowl
- Standing mixer
- Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer
- Rolling pin
- ¼ sheet pan (9 x 13” / 23 x 33 cm)
- Cooling rack
- Pastry brush
Instructions
Day 1
Combine the fruit and rum.
If your citrus peel is in larger pieces, dice it first before combining it with the other fruit.In a small bowl, mix the dried cherries, cranberries, currants, and candied citrus peel. Pour the rum over the fruit, stir to coat evenly, and cover. Let soak overnight at room temperature.
Day 2
Set up the Proofer.
Set the Proofer to 80°F (27°C) and put the water tray in the middle of the warming plate. Pour ¼ cups (60 ml) of water into the tray and place the rack on top of it.
Mix the Dough.
Whisk the warmed milk, yeast, egg, and sugar until combined in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the flour, salt, spices, and softened butter.
Using the dough hook, mix on low speed for 3 minutes, then increase to low-medium speed (speed 2) and knead for 8–10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
First Rise.
Transfer the dough to a greased container and place it in the Proofer set to 80°F (27°C). Let it rise for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
Before the first rise
After the first rise
Incorporate the fruit and nuts.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a rough rectangle. Add the soaked fruit and chopped almonds, then fold and knead until evenly distributed. Allow the dough to rest for 10–15 minutes.
While the dough is resting, prepare your almond paste. Knead the almond paste briefly to soften, then roll it into an 11-inch (28 cm) log. Set aside.
Shape the stollen.
Roll the dough into an 11 x 7-inch (28 x 18 cm) oval. Place the almond paste log lengthwise in the center.
Fold the left side of the dough over the almond paste and press lightly to seal. Fold the right side over the top, leaving the edge slightly offset from the center. Seal the ends to ensure no almond paste is exposed.
Using the side of your hand, press firmly along the right side of the almond paste log to create the traditional stollen shape. Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined ¼ baking sheet.
Second Rise.
Place the tray in the Proofer set to 80°F (27°C). Let it proof for 50–60 minutes. It will look puffy but not have doubled in size.
Preheat the Oven: While proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Bake.
Bake the stollen for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F (88°C).
Brush with butter and coat with sugar.
Let the stollen cool for 10 minutes. Using a skewer, poke small holes all across the surface (including the sides) of the stollen. Generously brush with melted butter, allowing it to soak into the loaf. Dust liberally with powdered sugar.
Cool completely.
Transfer the stollen to a wire rack to cool completely.
Stollen is delicious freshly baked, but it is traditionally allowed to age for a couple of weeks before eating it. For the best flavor, wrap tightly and store for at least 24 hours up to a few weeks. The flavor will actually improve as the loaf sits.
Leave a comment
6 comments
Where do you store the stolen do you cater wrap it and tore in refrigerator
Suzy, thank you for your comment! Traditionally Stollen is stored wrapped tightly in plastic in a cool, dark place, such as a bread box, pantry, or other similar area. Some people simply keep it wrapped on their counter. However, if you are concerned about it from a food safety standpoint, and if you are planning to store for extended periods of time, you can keep it in the fridge. I hope that helps clarify, and happy baking!
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. Can I substitute dry yeast with sourdough starter? And if possible, what would be the amount for this dough? Thank you
Leide Galhardo, thank you for your comment and great idea! Substituting sourdough starter for dry yeast is possible although it can be a bit tricky. Because of the nature of the fermentation agents, the two results will not be the same. However, if you are interested in it there are some great lengthier articles on the subject, such as “How to convert recipes between sourdough and yeast” on Breadtopia. The key is to maintain the correct amount of flour and water in the final dough recipe. To start, you could try using up 10-20% of the total flour weight for your preferment (the sourdough starter), keeping your preferment at about a 100% hydration, for simplicity. Just note that a Stollen dough will ferment much differently than a classic sourdough loaf because of all the additions in the dough. Best of luck and let us know how it goes!
Hello! I just wanted to ask you in which step of the recipe do I add the almond paste. It sounds and looks delicious. Is like to surprise my family with this bread.
Marco Andreas, thank you for your comment! You use the almond paste to make a log that goes into the center of the stollen when shaping. In the step “Incorporate the fruit and nuts”, you make the almond paste log. Then, in the step “Shape the stollen” you put the almond paste log into the middle of the dough and fold the sides over it to create the loaf. Best of luck and I am sure your family will love this Stollen recipe!