christmas stollen

Although it takes some time, this Christmas stollen, a dense yeasted cake is worth every minute, is redolent with rum-soaked fruit and a hint of lemon zest. It&#x27;s the best accompaniment for coffee on Christmas morning. 

Christmas Stollen with Rum Glaze

golden raisins

cranberries

dried fruit (papaya, mango, kiwi, apricots, pears, etc)

butter (divided)

milk

flour (all purpose)

sugar (divided)

lemon (zested)

packet active dry yeast

ginger (divided)

cinnamon

salt

eggs (large)

vanilla extract

sugar

Combine the fruit and rum in a small bowl. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit at room temperature while you make the dough or overnight if time allows.

Combine 2 sticks of the butter and the milk in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter melts). Combine the flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, the zest, the yeast, 1 teaspoon of the ground ginger, the cinnamon, and the salt in a large bowl. When the butter mixture cools to 100°F—it will feel warm but not hot—add it to the flour mixture and stir with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand. Lightly beat together the eggs and vanilla and stir them into the dough.

Knead the dough with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until it feels smooth and elastic, about 7-10 minutes. Grease a large bowl, add the dough, and turn it over to coat it lightly with oil or butter. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise for 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and add the fruit mixture. Knead the dough in the bowl with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until the fruit is evenly incorporated. (The dough will be sticky.)

Grease a baking sheet and shape the dough, as well as you can, into 2 to 4 long, oval loaves on the baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the loaves rise for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the baking sheet and bake until the loaves are golden brown, about 35 minutes (for smaller loaves) to 1 hour (for larger loaves).

When the stollen is done, melt the remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave). Brush the tops and sides of the stollen with the butter while the loaves are still warm.

Combine the remaining ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground ginger and sprinkle over the stollen. Cool thoroughly. Sprinkle the powdered sugar all over the stollen, pressing lightly to help it stick. Wrap each loaf in foil or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 day before serving.

German Christmas stollen is a traditional yeast bread that’s filled with dried fruit and marzipan, then coated in butter and icing sugar.  You’ll love every bite of this moist, delicious bread this Christmas season!

German Christmas Stollen

raisins

currants

almonds

mixed peel (finely diced)

orange juice

bread flour

fast-action yeast

caster sugar

lemon zest

unsalted butter (melted)

marzipan

icing sugar

Soak the fruit

Stir together the raisins, dried currants, chopped peel, sliced almonds, and orange juice until well mixed.  Leave to soak while you make the bread dough.

Mix dry ingredients

Pour the flour into a large bowl, adding the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl.  Stir in each one with your finger.  Mix in the sugar.

Add wet ingredients

Dump in the warmed milk, orange zest, vanilla, and egg, and bring the mix together with your hand.  The dough may be dry at this stage, but don&#39;t add any additional liquid to it.

Prove #1

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it prove at room temperature for 40 minutes.

Melt the butter

Put the butter in a saucepan set over low heat until melted.

Knead in the butter

Gradually add the melted butter to the dough, squeezing and crushing the dough with your hand to incorporate.  Once all of the butter is added, knead until all the butter is evenly distributed.

Prove #2

Cover the dough with plastic wrap again and let it prove for 1 hour.

Add the fruit

Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the soaked fruit mixture and mix on medium-low speed until evenly mixed.  If you don&#39;t have a stand mixer, you can do this step by hand.

Prove #3

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Making the German Stollen Dough (45 min + 2 hrs 10 min proving)

Punch it down

Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Punch it down all over to knock out any large air pockets.

Roll out the dough

Roll out the dough into an oval about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.  Place the bread dough on an 11x17-inch cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Roll out the marzipan

On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out the marzipan to an oval slightly smaller than the bread dough.  Lay it on top of the bread.

Fold

Fold over the long side of the oval so the dough is folded in half lengthwise.  The marzipan should be covered by the dough.

Prove #4

Cover the stollen with a piece of plastic wrap and let it prove until the dough springs back when gently pressed, about 30 minutes.

Shaping the Stollen (10 min + 30 min proving)

Preheat

Towards the end of the final prove, preheat your oven to 400 F.

Bake

Cook the stollen in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 F.  Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 375 F and bake the loaf until it&#39;s golden brown and has an internal temperature of about 190 F, about 40 minutes.  Once the bread is nicely browned, cover it with aluminum foil.

Cool

Let the stollen cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool.

Baking the Stollen (1 hr)

Decorate

While the loaf is still hot, brush on a generous coating of melted butter and sift a thick coating of icing sugar on top.  This coating looks pretty and seals the loaf, preventing it from drying out too quickly.

Serve

Let the German Christmas loaf cool completely, then slice and serve with soft butter.

Top 2 christmas stollen recipes from across the web

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Christmas Stollen with Rum Glaze

German Christmas Stollen

Top 2 christmas stollen recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas stollen recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Christmas Stollen with Rum Glaze

German Christmas Stollen

The most viewed christmas stollen recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine