Stollen is a Christmas fruited bread filled with marzipan and dusted with icing sugar, typical of Germany. It tastes like Christmas in every bite!
In German it is known as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen (which means Christmas Stollen or Stollen of Christ).
Stollen loaves are typically served at Christmas and have similar origins to English Christmas cake or pudding, Italian panettone and other luxurious desserts only enjoyed at Christmas.
The special candied fruits and nuts within them were expensive and so were saved for special occasions, in particular Christmas.
Not all Stollen recipes contain marzipan but the inclusion of marzipan I think makes it more like a Christmas bread with many of the flavours and ingredients of a Christmas cake, in a different form of course.
There are different kinds of Stollen available to buy in Germany. Here’s where my degree in German comes in handy!
They include Butterstollen (butter stollen) which has a higher butter content, Nussstollen (nut stollen) which has no dried fruit and a filling made of all kinds of nuts, Mohnstollen (poppy seed stollen) with a poppy seed filling and Quarkstollen (quark stollen) which is a non-yeasted version of stollen that uses quark, a type of fresh cheese similar to fromage frais.
When I was studying in Germany and France at university, I enjoyed buying Stollen loaves at Christmas markets for my family.
The rich bread dusted with icing sugar, filled with fruit and sweet almond marzipan really evokes my time studying abroad for me now.
Until now I hadn’t tried making my own, but was interested to give it a try as I enjoy making my own bread when there is time.
Fruit bread is also very popular with my children and this extra Christmassy version was bound to go down well with friends and family over the festive season.
I used lots of cranberries, cherries and blueberries to add flavour and colour alongside the traditional mixed fruit in my Stollen.
I did not add any almonds or other nuts that are sometimes included in Stollen recipes, as I don’t really enjoy nuts in cakes or bread.
But feel free to add some if you enjoy them! Finely chopped almonds are traditionally used.
The bread is lightly spiced with a lovely distribution of dried fruit and swirls of marzipan. I prefer it this way to a stick of marzipan through the centre I think, as you have all the elements of the bread in each mouthful.
Sliced and served with a cup of tea or coffee, this Stollen will be a perfect festive treat.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- strong flour – Stollen is a yeasted bread/cake so we use strong white flour, also known as bread flour, to make it.
- caster sugar – sweetens the dough.
- icing sugar – Stollen is typically dusted with plenty of icing sugar after baking.
- salt – used to add flavour to the bread dough, we only use a small amount.
- butter – butter is used as this is an enriched bread dough, to add richness and add softness.
- milk – is used in making this enriched bread dough to add fat and increase softness.
- yeast – to make the dough rise.
- cinnamon – to flavour the bread dough.
- vanilla and almond extract – also to flavour the dough.
- dried cranberries – these add colour to the dough, with the other dried fruit they form the filling of this stollen bread.
- mixed dried fruit – the pre-soaked mixed fruit that you can use for Christmas cakes, mince pies etc works well here as the brandy adds flavour and moisture to the Stollen as it matures.
- mixed peel
- dried blueberries
- dried cherries
- golden marzipan – marzipan forms the centre of Stollen, adding that delicious almond flavour and soft texture.
Method
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this Stollen recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
- Place the flour and sugar in a bowl, add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other (to prevent the salt from killing the yeast).
- Add the soft butter, and then about three quarters of the milk and stir to mix.
- Add the rest of the milk and use your hands to form a ball of dough.
- Place the dough on a work surface dusted with flour and knead for 6-7 minutes until elastic and smooth.
- Place the cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract and the dried fruit on top of the dough and knead it in.
- Once it is all incorporated, put the dough back in a large bowl, cover it with clingfilm, and leave to rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Tip! If the weather is cold and it is cold in your house it may take longer for the dough to rise. You can wait until it is fully risen.
- Once risen, roll the dough out into a large rectangle on a work surface. Melt 25g of butter and spread it over the top of the dough using a pastry brush.
- Roll out the marzipan into a rectangle as long as the dough is wide. Place it on top of the dough. Roll the dough from the short side, enclosing the marzipan as you roll.
- Place the dough with the seam on the bottom on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size again.
- Preheat your oven to 170℃ / 340℉ (fan). When the dough has risen, bake for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until golden brown and cooked through. Tap the bottom and it should sound hollow if done.
- Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter using a pastry brush. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar.
- Slice to serve.
Storage
Stollen is rather like British Christmas cake in that it keeps for a long time. Those layers of melted butter and icing sugar help to preserve it.
It will keep for up to 2 weeks, if you wrap it well in baking paper and foil to stop it going dry.
You can also leave the baked Stollen to mature for a week before eating it if you like. It will intensify in flavour.
Related
More baking recipes to try:
Recipe
Christmas Stollen
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white flour
- 100 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 10 g easy-bake yeast
- 5 g salt
- 150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 250 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp almond extract
- 50 g mixed peel
- 40 g dried cranberries
- 35 g dried cherries
- 35 g dried blueberries
- 140 g dried mixed fruit
- 25 g butter melted
- 280 g golden marzipan
- 25 g butter melted
- icing sugar for dusting
Equipment
Video
Instructions
- Place the flour and sugar in a bowl, add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other (to prevent the salt from killing the yeast).500 g strong white flour, 100 g caster sugar (superfine sugar), 10 g easy-bake yeast, 5 g salt
- Add the soft butter, and then about three quarters of the milk and stir to mix.150 g unsalted butter, 250 ml semi-skimmed milk
- Add the rest of the milk and use your hands to form a ball of dough.
- Place the dough on a work surface dusted with flour and knead for 6-7 minutes until elastic and smooth.
- Place the cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract and the dried fruit on top of the dough and knead it in.0.5 tsp ground cinnamon, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract, 0.5 tsp almond extract, 50 g mixed peel, 40 g dried cranberries, 35 g dried cherries, 140 g dried mixed fruit, 35 g dried blueberries
- Once it is all incorporated, put the dough back in a large bowl, cover it with clingfilm, and leave to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Once risen, roll the dough out into a large rectangle on a work surface. Melt 25 g of butter and spread it over the top of the dough using a pastry brush.25 g butter
- Roll out the marzipan into a rectangle as long as the dough is wide. Place it on top of the dough. Roll the dough from the short side, enclosing the marzipan as you roll.280 g golden marzipan
- Place the dough with the seam on the bottom on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size again.
- Preheat your oven to 170℃ / 340℉ (fan). When the dough has risen, bake for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until golden brown and cooked through. Tap the bottom and it should sound hollow if done.
- Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter using a pastry brush. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar. Slice to serve.25 g butter, icing sugar
Isobel short says
This sounds good but I hate marzipan also nuts can I omit them ?
bakingqueen74 says
Yes, you can leave out the marzipan in the centre if you prefer, it will change the final outcome though and flavour.