Authentic German Stollen
German Stollen is a sweet German Christmas bread made of rum-soaked raisins, almonds, citrus, and marzipan nestled in an easy yeast dough.I grew up in Germany, and had MANY Stollen in my life. They were often too dry and too dense. While this homemade version takes some time to make, it makes the BEST Stollen.I finish my Stollen with a touch of spice to bring together the most warming flavors.
Servings: 2 loaves
Calories: 6913kcal
Equipment
- 1 Zester
- instant-read thermometer optional, for checking internal temperature of the baked loaves. Bake to 90℃ or 195℉.
Ingredients
Soak Overnight
- 150 grams raisins
- 100 grams slivered almonds
- 30 milliliters rum
- boiling water
Roux (Mehlschwitze)
- 30 grams all-purpose flour
- 150 milliliters milk
Sponge Dough (Vorteig)
- 100 milliliters milk
- 14 grams active-dry yeast 2 pouches
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
Main Dough
- 250 grams butter
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 400 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Add in when shaping loaves
- 100 grams marzipan shape into two logs right before adding in
For immediately after baking
- 50 grams butter
- 50 grams sugar
For after the loaves have cooled
- 150 grams powdered sugar
Instructions
The night before baking
- The night before baking, add the raisins, slivered almonds and rum into a small bowl, then pour boiling water into the boil until the raisin-almond mixture is just covered. Stir, cover and let rest at room temperature overnight. This helps soften the raisins and almonds and keeps the Stollen more moist.150 grams raisins, 100 grams slivered almonds, 30 milliliters rum, boiling water
Roux
- The next morning, make your roux by combining the flour and milk in a pot and heat for about 3 minutes while constantly stirring. The consistency should be like a thick pudding. Put in a bowl and let it cool.30 grams all-purpose flour, 150 milliliters milk
Sponge
- For the sponge dough, heat the milk to luke warm, then stir together with the yeast and let it sit and activate for 5 minutes. If the mixture is not bubbly, start over. Your milk have been too hot or too cold.Add the flour and knead together. Put in a small bowl, cover airtight and let rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes.100 milliliters milk, 14 grams active-dry yeast, 100 grams all-purpose flour
Main Stollen Dough
- For the main dough, combine the room temperature butter, spices, sugar and salt and whip until creamy.Drain any liquids from the raisin-almond mixture.Scrape the vanilla bean and add to the bowl with the raisins. Zest the lemon and orange and add to the bowl with the raisins.In a large bowl, add the flour, butter-sugar mixture, the roux and sponge dough. Knead together until combined. Now add the raisin-almond-zest-vanilla mixture and knead until combined.Cover the bowl airtight and let rest in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.250 grams butter, 75 grams granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 pinch nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt, 400 grams all-purpose flour, 1 vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Shape Loaves
- Divide the dough in two and shape each dough into an oval shape. Do not knead the dough, but just gently shape it instead. Kneading will release too many air bubbles. Divide the marzipan into 2 and shape two logs the length of the loaves.100 grams marzipan
- Press a ditch into the loaves, then add the marzipan logs and close the loaves back up, pressing together the seams. The seam will be on top.Cover with a linen towel and let rise for 30 more minutes in a warm spot.Preheat oven to 200℃ (390℉).
Bake Stollen
- Place loaves on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes.Reduce temperature to 350 for last 15 minutes of baking.Bake to 90℃ or 195℉ internal temperature. I love using this instant-read thermometer for baking and cooking!
After Baking
- After baking, brush the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Let cool completely.50 grams butter, 50 grams sugar
- Once cooled, cover in powdered sugar and wrap in plastic wrap or foil.150 grams powdered sugar
- Now, if you can be patient, let your Stollen rest in a cool spot (or fridge) for about one week before cutting up and serving. This will help the Stollen to develop its flavors.However, this is not a must. We ate one loaf immediately (and it was moist, fluffy and delicious) and I have the other resting in the fridge until we're ready to eat it.
Notes
How to store Stollen
If you can resist eating your Stollen right after baking, follow these steps to store it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to keep in all the moisture. Then store it in a cool spot (like that cold spare bedroom or that cold room in your basement) for one week. I just keep my Stollen in the fridge, which is perfectly acceptable too. It's important to wrap it up after each time you eat some, so it stays moist and fluffy. An hour before eating this German Christmas bread, move it to a warm spot, so it gets a chance to regain its fluffy texture.Swap nuts
While almonds are the most traditional nut to use in Stollen, you could easily use different nuts instead. Still follow the same steps of first soaking them with the raisins overnight before adding to the dough the next day.Marzipan is optional
Not a marzipan fan or having a hard time finding it? Simply leave it out. Still shape the loaves the same way you would when adding the marzipan. Press dough down with a rolling pin, the fold loaves back up and press seams down for the iconic Stollen shape.
Nutrition
Calories: 6913kcal | Carbohydrates: 890g | Protein: 115g | Fat: 338g | Saturated Fat: 167g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g | Monounsaturated Fat: 116g | Trans Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 695mg | Sodium: 2724mg | Potassium: 3533mg | Fiber: 45g | Sugar: 330g | Vitamin A: 7942IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 870mg | Iron: 35mg