Christmas stollen recipe

Christmas Stollen recipe

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About this recipe

In this blog post I will guide you thru the steps and ingredients needed to craft this recipe. Grab your favorite apron and let's start.
This Christmas stollen recipe is a holiday classic that will fill your home with the warm and comforting aroma of freshly baked bread. Made with a rich dough infused with spices, dried fruits, and nuts, this traditional German sweet bread is a delightful treat to enjoy during the festive season. The recipe yields a tender and moist loaf, perfect for slicing and sharing with loved ones. Whether enjoyed with a cup of hot cocoa or as a breakfast indulgence, this Christmas stollen will surely become a beloved addition to your holiday traditions.

Keywords: Christmas stollen, recipe, holiday, German, festive

Christmas stollen recipe details

Christmas stollen recipe, recipe Rating: 4.5
Number of votes:103 

Ingredients

	For the dough:
1 tbsp	active dried yeast
160 ml	lukewarm milk
1 large	egg
5 tbsp	sugar
½ tbsp	salt
75 g	unsalted butter, softened
350 g	white bread flour
50 g	currants
50 g	sultanas
50 g	glacé cherries, quartered
150 g	chopped mixed peel
	For the filling:
175 g	marzipan
	For dusting:
1 tbsp	icing sugar
1 tsp	cinnamon

Instructions

In a small bowl, add the warm milk and sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Allow it to stand for 10-12 minutes until it becomes slightly foamy.

In a large bowl, add the yeast mixture, the egg, sugar, salt, butter and about 250g of the flour. Beat well together to make a soft dough. Add the remaining flour, about 25g at a time stirring well after each addition until it begins to hold together.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 15-30 seconds. If still wet and sticky, add a little more flour until the dough is soft but workable. Knead in the fruit and peel, some at a time. Knead until smooth, 8-10 minutes.

Lightly oil a clean bowl and form the dough into a ball and roll it in the bowl 2 or 3 times until lightly covered in oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to rise in a warm place until at least doubled in size, about an hour.

Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Knock back the dough and turn it out into a lightly floured surface and roll and shape the dough into a flat, elongated loaf shape.

On a clean surface, roll the marzipan into a rope a little shorter than the loaf and place it lengthwise in the centre of the loaf. Fold over one side of the dough to cover the marzipan and then fold the other side over the first. Pinch the seams and ends together to seal and turn the loaf seam side down and carefully transfer to the baking sheet.

Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Whilst it is resting, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to Gas Mark 2, 150ºC, 300ºF and bake for a further 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and well risen.

Cool on a wire rack. When cold, dredge thoroughly with icing sugar and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Options:
t is possible to make the basic dough in a bread machine. Add ingredients in the order suggested by its manufacturers. You may need to adjust consistency after initial mixing, by adding either a little milk if dry or a little flour if too wet. Remove the finished dough from the machine and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before working in the fruit and peel. Then continue as for main instructions.

About this recipe:
Having previously submitted two alternative recipes for this sweet German Christmas bread, neither of which included marzipan, I was asked by another member why I had not posted such a version which he considers to be ‘typical’. Each does however include about 200-250g of almonds, which is a fairly substantial amount.

Whether or not the inclusion of marzipan is typical is an arguable point and perhaps some of the German members will add their own comments. While some commercial versions include marzipan, others do not. I have either bought or been given commercial versions of both types in the past. Most of the recipes I have in my collection and others seen also do not include marzipan. This is the only recipe I have that includes it.

Preparation time:
ca. 40 min
Resting time:
ca. 4 hrs
Grade of difficulty:
medium
Calories per portion:
n/a