Go Back
–+ servings
A cutting board with a stollen with five slices cut from it.
Print

Stollen

Stollen: Buttery, spiced, tender loaves of sweet bread studded with dried fruit, candied citrus peel, and nuts for a heavenly flavor worthy of holiday celebrations. Perfect for holiday snacking, Christmas Eve dessert, or a sweet finish to holiday brunch! Make two loaves as directed, or see the recipe notes to make smaller loaves for gifting!
Course bread
Cuisine German
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rise Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 24 servings
Calories 269kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Mixer

Ingredients

For the Fruits and Nuts:

  • 1½ cups raisins (240g)
  • ½ cup candied orange peel diced (120g)
  • ½ cup candied lemon peel diced (120g)
  • ½ cup slivered almond chopped (60g)
  • ½ cup dark rum (120ml)

For the Dough:

  • 1 cup warm milk (110-120F/180ml)
  • 1 (0.25-ounce/7g) packet active dry yeast
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour divided (480g)
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and room temperature (142g)
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground mace
  • Zest of 1 lemon

For the Filling:

  • 7 ounces marzipan or almond paste (198g)

For the Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and divided
  • Confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

For the Fruit and Nuts:

  • In a medium bowl, combine raisins, orange peel, lemon peel, almonds, and rum. Cover and let soak while preparing the dough, stirring occasionally.

For the Dough:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk and yeast, stirring to combine. Let stand until the top is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  • Add 1 cup of flour, the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, salt, cardamom, and mace to the bloomed yeast. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is well combined and smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Switch to the dough hook. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and the lemon zest. Mix on low speed until a soft and smooth dough forms, about 10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, cover, and let rise until the dough is about doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
  • Drain any remaining liquid from the soaked fruit.
  • Add the drained fruit mixture to the dough. Use the dough hook and mix on low speed just until the fruit is combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn out onto a well floured surface and knead a few times to bring it into a ball. flouring the dough and your hands as needed.
  • Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a 7x11-inch oval, lightly flouring your hands as needed.

For the Filling:

  • Shape the marzipan into 2 (10-inch) long logs. Place a marzipan log down the center of each oval. Fold one long side of the dough over the marzipan to meet the other side. Gently press down along the seam to seal in the marzipan. (Do not pinch the seam together.)
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the loaves on the baking sheet a few inches apart. Loosely cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise until visibly puffed, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the Topping:

  • Uncover the risen loaves and brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, or until the outside is golden brown. (The internal temperature should reach 190F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the center of each loaf.) Place on a wire cooling rack.
  • Brush the hot loaves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Let cool for 20 minutes.
  • Heavily dust the tops of the loaves in confectioners’ sugar. Pat them with your hands to adhere the sugar to the crust. Cool completely. Dust again once cooled, including the bottom of the loaves, and pat to adhere. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to serve. Stollen gets better with age and can be enjoyed up to 3 weeks after baking as long as it is stored tightly wrapped.

Notes

  • Don’t overheat the milk. Warm, not hot, milk works best for this bread since hot milk will kill the yeast, preventing the bread from rising. The ideal temperature of the milk should be 110-120°F, or warm (but not hot) to the touch.
  • Add additional flour if needed. If the dough is too wet to work with after stirring in the fruit, work in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, or until the dough easily releases from the sides of the bowl.
  • Note the internal cooking temperature of the bread. Bake the stollen loaves for 35 minutes or until golden brown and when the internal temperature of the center of each loaf reaches 190°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Taking its temp takes the guessing work out of knowing if the bread is under-baked or over-baked.
  • Optional: let the stollen age. Stollen gets better with age and can be enjoyed up to 3 weeks after baking if stored properly. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before wrapping it again tightly in aluminum foil. Age it in a cool and dark area, such as the pantry, until serving.
  • Optional: switch up the dried fruit. Nearly any combination 1½ cups of your favorite dried fruits can work in this recipe so feel free to experiment with different combinations. Chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins, chopped dried cherries, and candied ginger are all great options.

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg