Stollen
Quick answer
- Total time
- 85 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread loaded with mixed dried fruits, almonds, and a generous amount of butter kneaded into a yeasted dough.
Read more
The loaf is shaped into a distinctive oval, baked until golden, and then brushed with melted butter while still hot to seal in moisture. A thick coating of powdered sugar applied over the butter layer gives the finished bread its signature snow-white appearance. The interior is dense and rich, with pockets of rum-soaked raisins and candied peel appearing at every slice. Soaking the dried fruits overnight in rum or fruit juice before mixing them into the dough ensures they remain plump and soft after baking rather than turning hard and chewy. The bread improves with age - resting for at least a day after baking allows the butter, spice, and fruit flavors to meld and permeate the crumb, which is why many German families bake their stollen weeks before Christmas. Wrapped tightly, it keeps for well over a week without losing quality, making it an ideal gift or make-ahead holiday preparation.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
The day before, soak 150 g mixed dried raisins in rum or fruit juice, then drain them well.
Warm 180 ml milk until lukewarm, add the yeast and a little sugar, and let it stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
- 2Season
Mix 350 g bread flour with the remaining sugar in a bowl, then pour in the activated milk mixture.
Stir until no dry flour remains and the dough gathers into a rough mass before adding more handling.
- 3Season
Add 120 g softened unsalted butter in portions and knead for about 10 minutes.
The dough will feel sticky at first, but avoid adding much extra flour; continue until it becomes smoother and elastic.
- 4Control
Spread the drained fruit and 60 g almonds over the dough, then fold them in gently.
Distribute them evenly so they do not clump in one area, cover the dough, and let it rise for 60 minutes.
- 5Heat
Gently press out excess gas, shape the dough into an oval loaf, and place it on the pan.
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 40-45 minutes, until the outside is deeply golden and set.
- 6Season
As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven, brush the hot surface with melted butter to slow moisture loss.
Coat thickly with 40 g powdered sugar, cool completely, then wrap tightly and rest for one day before slicing.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Rum-soaked dried fruits and whole almonds knead into yeasted dough for this dense German Christmas loaf.
- Finish cue
- Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 40-45 minutes, until the outside is deeply golden and set.
- Avoid this
- The dough will feel sticky at first, but avoid adding much extra flour; continue until it becomes smoother and elastic.
- Storage and reheating
- Soaking the dried fruits overnight in rum or fruit juice before mixing them into the dough ensures they remain plump and soft after baking rather than turning hard and chewy.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
85min, 8 ingredients
Category median
55min, 8 ingredients
Based on 248 recipes
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