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Christmas stollen is a delicious, old-fashioned way to celebrate the holiday season. This German bread is as festive as it is fruity! This Christmas stollen recipe will quickly become a holiday tradition in your family.
What Is Stollen?
Stollen (a.k.a. Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen) is a cake-like yeast bread with dried fruits and (often, but not always) a marzipan filling. The Christmas bread is usually dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Dating back to the 1500s, the German bread was originally served at the Council of Trent. It's now most often associated with the holiday season.
Stollen Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need to make this festive Christmas stollen recipe:
- Yeast and milk: This stollen recipe starts with active dry yeast dissolved in warm milk.
- Flour: Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose flour, making it perfect for these dense loaves.
- Sugar and salt: White sugar sweetens things up a bit, while salt enhances the overall flavor. You'll need confectioners' sugar for dusting over the baked stollen.
- Butter: Softened butter keeps the stollen moist.
- Egg: An egg adds moisture and helps bind the dough together.
- Fruit: You'll need candied citron, currants, golden raisins, and candied cherries.
- Marzipan: Use store-bought marzipan or make your own with our .
- Cinnamon: A pinch of ground cinnamon sprinkled over the baked stollen adds a hint of warmth and spiciness.
How to Make Stollen
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this Christmas stollen:
- Make the dough: Activate the yeast in the warm milk. Make the dough with the yeast mixture, bread flour, sugar, butter, egg, and salt. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in the fruit. Knead until smooth.
- Let the dough rise: Place in an oiled bowl, loosely cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
- Add the marzipan: Turn the dough out again and deflate. Roll the marzipan into a rope and fold the dough over it. Place on a baking sheet and let rise again.
- Bake the stollen: Bake the stollen (turning the temperature down after 10 minutes) until golden brown. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
How to Store Stollen
Homemade German stollen will last up to two months if you store it in a cool, dark place in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Stollen?
Yes, you can freeze Christmas stollen. Cut it into slices and wrap each slice individually in at least one layer of storage wrap. Then wrap each slice again in a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise
"This was my first attempt at making a stollen and it came out PERFECT," raves . "I come from a German family so to make something authentic around the holidays was great. This is definitely becoming a staple in my family's Christmas tradition."
"My first six star review," says . "I admit I changed a few things but I credit that to preference. I made my own and omitted the currants. I made one for my family and it will be my new tradition."
"This was amazing," according to . "I soaked the raisins in rum as others suggested and added cinnamon to the dough as well. I put everything in the bread machine on the dough setting and let it go. When it was done, I followed the rest of the directions, let it rise for about 40 minutes and baked it. It turned out perfectly!"
Editorial contributions by
Christmas Stollen
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Ingredients
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⅔ cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
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1 tablespoon active dry yeast
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2 ½ cups bread flour
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⅓ cup white sugar
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⅓ cup butter, softened
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1 large egg
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½ tablespoon salt
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⅔ cup diced candied citron
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⅓ cup currants
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⅓ cup golden raisins
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⅓ cup red candied cherries, quartered
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6 ounces marzipan
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1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
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¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
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Place warm milk and yeast in a bowl. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
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Place yeast mixture, 2 cups bread flour, white sugar, butter, egg, and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir well to combine. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead in candied citron, currants, golden raisins, and cherries. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
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Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
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Lightly grease a baking sheet. Deflate dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll marzipan into a rope and place in the center of the dough. Fold dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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Bake stollen in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on a wire rack, then dust with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
178 | Calories |
7g | Fat |
29g | Carbs |
2g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings Per Recipe 15 | |
Calories 178 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 7g | 9% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 14% |
Cholesterol 24mg | 8% |
Sodium 307mg | 13% |
Total Carbohydrate 29g | 10% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 5% |
Total Sugars 18g | |
Protein 2g | 4% |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 43mg | 3% |
Iron 1mg | 4% |
Potassium 122mg | 3% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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