stollen

German Stollen have been around for nearly 700 years and are prized throughout the world as one of the most famous and beloved of all Christmas pastries.&nbsp; Your search for the best recipe has ended:&nbsp; Flaky, moist, aromatic and divinely flavorful, these homemade German Christmas Stollen are INCREDIBLE!&nbsp;&nbsp;

Best Authentic Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

For the Dough:

whole milk

active dry yeast

sugar

all-purpose flour

unsalted butter

vanilla extract

lemon

salt

cardamom

mace ((recommended but can substitute nutmeg))

cinnamon

Homemade Marzipan/Almond Paste (click link

marzipan/almond paste

For the Fruits & Nuts:

raisins

orange peel (, finely diced)

Homemade Candied Citrus Peel (click link

almonds (, finely chopped)

dark rum

For the Glaze & Dusting:

unsalted butter (, melted)

BEST Authentic Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

Place the raisins, candied citrus peel and almonds in a medium bowl and pour the rum over it.&nbsp; Stir to combine.&nbsp; Set aside and let the fruit mixture soak in the rum while the dough rises.

Stir the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the lukewarm milk and let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until very frothy.

Place the flour, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, cardamom, mace and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.&nbsp; Add the yeast/milk mixture.&nbsp; Use a spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together.&nbsp; Knead the dough on the bread setting for 7-8 minutes.&nbsp; Remove the dough ball, lightly spray the bowl with a little oil, return the dough ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place or lightly warmed oven (just barely warm), to rise until nearly doubled in size, at least 1 hour.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Punch down the dough and add the soaked fruit/nut mixture to the dough (it should have absorbed all the rum by now but if there is excess liquid, pour it out before adding the mixture to the dough).&nbsp; Using the dough hook, knead the fruit/nut mixture into the dough until combined.&nbsp; If the dough is too wet to handle, add a little bit of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it in two equal halves.&nbsp; Press or roll each piece into an oval to about 1 inch thickness.&nbsp; Roll each piece of marzipan into a log the length of the oval.&nbsp; Press the marzipan gently into the middle of the dough.&nbsp; Fold the left side of the dough over to cover the marzipan, then fold right side over on top of the left side so that the edge of it sits just left of the middle of the stollen (see pics).&nbsp; In other words, don't fold the right side all the way over to the left edge of the stollen.&nbsp; Pinch and tuck the top and bottom ends of the stollen to cover the marzipan.&nbsp; Use the bottom edge of your hand to press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump (see pics).&nbsp; Place the stollen on a lined baking sheet.&nbsp; Cover the stollen loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm place or lightly warmed oven for 40-60 minutes until puffy.&nbsp; At that point you can pick off any raisins that are sticking out of the dough (they will burn during baking).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the stollen for 30-40 minutes or until golden.  You can use an instant read thermometer to aim for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.  Let the Stollen sit for 5 minutes, then use a toothpick to poke holes all over the stollen (this will allow the butter to seep in), then generously brush the stollen with the melted butter while the stollen are still warm.  Immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar, rubbing it into the creases and down the sides.  Let the stollen cool completely.  You may want to give it another dusting of powdered sugar once cooled.

The stollen can be sliced and eaten now or wrapped tightly (wrap in plastic wrap then foil) and left to &quot;ripen&quot; in a cool place for 2 weeks.  The liquid from the dried fruits will further penetrate the dough for more flavor and moisture.  Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.

Makes 2 large or 3 medium Stollen.For eating, I like to warm the slices up for a few seconds in the microwave, it makes the crumb nice and soft.

Paul Hollywood's almond and apricot 'couronne' is crammed with fruit and nuts and is a great alternative to stollen

Apricot & marzipan twist

strong white bread flour

milk

fast-action dried yeast

apricot

orange juice

light muscovado sugar

plain flour

raisin

walnut

grated zest 1 orange

marzipan

apricot jam

icing sugar

The night before, put apricots and orange juice in a bowl and set aside.

To make the dough, put flour, 1 tsp salt, butter, milk, yeast and egg in a bowl, and mix together to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 mins.

Transfer dough to a mixing bowl. Cover, then set aside to rise in a warm place for 1 hr.

Meanwhile, drain the apricots. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and muscovado sugar until fluffy. Mix in the apricots, flour, raisins, walnuts and orange zest.

Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a rectangle, about 25 x 33cm. Evenly spread over the apricot mix, then roll out the marzipan and lay it on top. Roll up the rectangle tightly so it looks like a Swiss roll. Roll slightly, then cut lengthways along the roll, leaving 1 end joined. Twist 2 lengths together, then shape into a ring on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Set aside to rise for 1 hr.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the twist for 30 mins until risen and dark golden. Towards the end of the baking time, gently warm the apricot jam in a small pan. Brush the freshly baked loaf with the warm jam to glaze it, then set it aside to cool. Once cooled, drizzle the twist heavily with the runny icing.

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)

flour (all purpose)

sugar (divided)

lemon (zested)

packet active dry yeast

ginger (divided)

eggs (large)

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.

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Top 3 stollen recipes from across the web

The most viewed stollen recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Best Authentic Stollen (German Chri...

Apricot & marzipan twist

Christmas Stollen with Rum Glaze

The most viewed stollen recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine