Stollen

The holiday season means enjoying our favorite festive foods; for many, stollen tops that list. While it may resemble fruit cake, this German recipe produces a lighter, soft-textured bread. Studded with fruits and nuts, stollen is an incredibly flavorful treat.

Stollen is a yeasted bread that gets its flavor from a touch of sugar, lemon zest, dried fruits and nuts. Like most enriched doughs—those made with egg, butter and milk—a stollen bread recipe needs a longer rise time, but the result is a soft and pillowy bread. Once baked, the longer the cakelike loaves sit, the better they get, as the fruits soften the bread’s texture.

This Christmas stollen recipe uses simple ingredients to produce a holiday bread perfect for baking at home with family members or making loaves to give to friends.

What is stollen?

Filled with dried fruits and nuts, and sometimes a strip of marzipan running through the middle, this fruit-filled bread is one of the most traditional breads served during the holidays. It is said to have originated in Dresden, Germany, between the 1300s and 1400s. With its signature fold and confectioners’ sugar coating, most believe it represents the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling garments, which is why it’s a Christmas staple. Like panettone, you can eat it for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert.

Initially, the Catholic church didn’t allow milk or butter during Advent, so the German stollen recipe wasn’t as delicious as it is today. However, that changed in the mid-17th century, and the enriched dough recipe is now enjoyed worldwide year after year.

Ingredients for Stollen

• Active dry yeast: The warm water in this stollen bread recipe activates the active dry yeast, which makes the dough rise.
• Milk: Warm milk provides moisture in the dough. You can use 2% milk or swap in whole milk.
• Butter: Softened butter is beaten into the dough to add a wonderful buttery flavor and a soft texture.
• Sugar: Use granulated sugar to add a light, sweet flavor to the Christmas stollen recipe.
• Eggs: Two large eggs play a role in creating a soft, fluffy dough.
• Lemon zest: Fresh lemon zest infuses the dough with a light citrus flavor.
• Salt: Salt helps balance out the flavors incorporated into the German stollen recipe.
• All-purpose flour: No need for bread flour here. All-purpose flour is enough to provide structure for the stollen dough.
• Raisins, candied fruits and chopped almonds: The mix-ins make this stollen bread recipe special. Raisins and candied fruits add sweet flavor, while chopped almonds enhance the texture. Toasted nuts add the most flavor.
• Confectioners’ sugar glaze: Whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk together to create a simple glaze to drizzle over the baked stollen.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the dough

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In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Add the raisins, candied fruit and almonds. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Step 2: Knead and let the dough rise

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Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

Editor’s Tip: Enriched doughs with butter and milk take longer to rise than a traditional yeasted dough. Letting the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled will ensure proper texture.

Step 3: Shape the dough

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Punch the dough down and divide it into two. Cover the halves and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Roll or press each half into a 12×7-inch oval. Fold each oval in half, placing one long side over the other and leaving a 1-inch border on the bottom side. Press the edge lightly to seal. Place on greased baking sheets and curve the ends slightly. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.

Editor’s Tip: This fold will give the stollen its signature hump, which runs the length of the bread.

Step 4: Bake the stollen

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Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Step 5: Top with the glaze

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Combine confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to achieve your desired glaze consistency. Drizzle or spread the glaze over the stollen.

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Recipe Variations

• Cover with sugar: While this Christmas stollen recipe features a simple glaze, it’s more traditional to coat it in powdery sugar. To do so, brush the stollen with melted butter and sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar.
• Add orange zest: Instead of or in addition to the lemon zest, try another citrus zest like orange.
• Use other nuts: To make your loaf that much more interesting, add chopped walnuts or pecans in addition to almonds.
• Add marzipan: Traditional stollen includes marzipan stuffed inside the bread. Place a rolled log of marzipan in the center of the dough while you’re shaping it, and then bake as directed. You can also use almond paste instead of marzipan.

How to Store Stollen

Once cooled, wrap your German stollen recipe tightly in storage wrap. Do not refrigerate it. Instead, leave it in a cool, dry place like a bread box or pantry.

How long does stollen last?

The beauty of stollen is how long it lasts! Some bakers intentionally choose to bake it, wrap it and leave it to rest for up to one week before cutting a slice. During that time, the flavor and moisture from the incorporated fruits make the bread much better. Keep it up to two weeks for the best flavor.

Can you freeze stollen?

Stollen has a long shelf life, but if you have plenty of extra that you won’t go through within a few weeks, transfer it to the freezer. Store it either sliced or whole, wrapped tightly in storage wrap and aluminum foil. It will be good for up to two months.

Stollen Tips

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Why is my stollen dry?

Baking a Christmas stollen recipe longer than instructed will cause the loaf to dry out. The glaze on top helps provide moisture, keeping a wrapped stollen fresh and soft for weeks.

Should stollen be eaten warm?

A slice of stollen can be eaten at room temperature or lightly warmed. It can be served alone or topped with butter, honey or your favorite jam.

What else can you do with stollen?

A German stollen recipe lasts quite a while, but it’s incredibly versatile if you need to use leftovers. You can use it in bread pudding or even a French toast bake. You could also use chunks of stollen to make a festive trifle.