My stollen recipe makes a wonderfully flavorful, rich German Christmas bread, studded with dried fruits and almonds. The bread is soft and moist, topped with a lovely sweet glaze. This is a special festive Holiday treat the whole family will love!
This fabulous cake-like bread is Martha Stewart's stollen recipe. I followed it to a T and couldn't be happier with the classic Christmas bread!
The ingredient list is long and the dough is kneaded by hand (though you could use a stand mixer) but the homemade stollen is so rewarding! The spiced bread is buttery, mildly sweet, and crammed with rum-soaked fruits and nuts. It really tastes like Christmas!
Jump to:
What Is Stollen?
Stollen, also called Christstollen, is a traditional German Christmas bread. It's moist, heavy, fruit-filled, and coated with powdered sugar. It is usually oval-shaped, symbolizing Baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.
This German stollen is also often filled with marzipan and is gifted to friends and family during the Holiday season.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
A festive bread that tastes like Christmas!
It can be made without a stand mixer or any special equipment.
You can switch the dried fruits to your taste and make it alcohol-free if you prefer.
You can make the stollen ahead of time. The flavor deepens as the bread soaks in the dried fruit.
It stores well for up to one week at room temperature, and you can freeze it for up to a month!
Stollen Recipe Ingredients
Flour: I used all-purpose for this German Christmas fruit loaf recipe. You can use bread flour too for a chewier result.
Milk: Whole milk works the best here, for making the bread soft. Please make sure the milk is not cold.
Butter: I use salted butter. You can use unsalted butter. In case you do, please add a teaspoon of salt to the flour.
Eggs: They help in binding the dough and making the stollen richer.
Yeast: I used dry active yeast.
Spices: Traditionally mace and nutmeg are used in German stollen. Since I didn't have mace, I used cinnamon instead.
Sugar: Granulated sugar works just fine here.
Lemon zest: For a lovely citrusy flavor.
Dried fruits and nuts: Following Martha's stollen recipe, I used dried currants, golden raisins, dried apricots, candied citrus peel, and blanched almonds. The currants were soaked in rum ( you can use cognac too) and the raisins were soaked in orange juice.
How To Make
Step 1: Start by whisking together the dry active yeast and warm water. Keep aside until frothy.
Step 2: Combine all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon powder, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, milk, and melted butter to the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Mix with a spatula until you get a shaggy dough.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Add currants, raisins, chopped apricots, citrus peel, almonds, and lemon zest.
Step 5: Knead the dough for 10 minutes until all the fruits and nuts are well incorporated.
Step 6: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Step 7: Let it rest in a warm place for 1.5 - 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 8: Punch down the risen dough gently. Transfer to a floured surface and divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces.
Step 9: Roll each dough piece into a 14-15-inch log.
Step 10: Take 3 logs together. Pinch them at the top and braid them.
Step 11: Tuck in the ends under the braid. Repeat with the other 3 logs.
Step 12: Transfer the loaves to a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size - About 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Step 13: Bake the breads for 35-40 minutes at 180 c or 350 F or until golden brown. Brush 2 tbsp of melted butter on the hot stollen and let them cool completely.
Step 14: Whisk together the icing sugar and milk to make a thick, smooth glaze. Pour this over the cooled stollen and serve!
Pro Tips
- Make sure the water, for dissolving the yeast, is warm. Hot water will kill the yeast and cold water doesn't activate it.
- Soak the raisins and dried currants for at least 1 hour before making the dough. It's preferable to soak them overnight.
- You can use orange juice in place of rum for soaking the dried currants if you prefer the German fruit bread alcohol-free.
- You can use store-bought candied citrus or make it at home using my recipe for easy candied orange slices.
- I like to brush the tops of the Christmas stollen as soon as it comes out of the oven for an extra sheen. You can omit this step if you wish.
- If you want a more traditional look, you can leave out the glaze. Instead, brush the hot loaves with butter and then coat them liberally with powdered sugar.
- This stollen recipe is without marzipan. If you like, you can also add store-bought or homemade marzipan in the middle of each roll. You can then shape it into an oval shape as authentic German Christmas stollen.
Stollen Recipe FAQs
This bread will stay well on the countertop for up to a week. Store in an air-tight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Yes, wrap it well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 1 month.
Stollen is usually served with butter and honey. It's lovely at room temperature though you can warm it up in a toaster too - very much like my chocolate babka!
Yes, you can. Simply substitute rum with orange juice.
No, German stollen is not a fruitcake rather it's a yeast bread filled with dried fruits and nuts. If you enjoy fruitcakes, you can try my Christmas rum cake recipe!
📖 Recipe
Stollen Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 tbsp Dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup Warm water (about 40.5 C or 105 F)
- 5 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 5 oz Melted butter I used salted butter
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 oz Dried currants (soaked in 1/4 cup rum)
- 7 oz Golden raisins (soaked in 1/4 cup orange juice)
- 4 oz Blanched almonds, sliced
- 4 oz Candied orange peel, chopped You can use store-bought too
- 2 oz Dried apricots, chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp Melted butter (for brushing on top)
Glaze
- 3/4 cup Icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry active yeast and warm water. Keep aside until frothy.
- Combine all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon powder, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture, eggs, milk, and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until you get a shaggy dough.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.
- Add currants, raisins, chopped apricots, citrus peel, almonds, and lemon zest.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes until all the fruits and nuts are well incorporated. This dough is a bit heavy to knead, but take your time, it comes together very well and is a beautiful dough.You can use a stand mixer to knead the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm place for 1.5 - 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
- Punch down the risen dough gently. Transfer to a floured surface and divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces.
- Roll each dough piece into a 14-15-inch log.
- Take 3 logs together. Pinch them at the top and braid them, tucking in the ends under the braid.Repeat with the other 3 logs.
- Transfer the braids to a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size - About 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
- Bake the breads for 35-40 minutes at 180 c or 350 F or until golden brown.
- Brush 2 tbsp of melted butter on the hot breads and let them cool completely.
- Whisk together the icing sugar and milk to make a thick, smooth glaze.
- Pour this over the cooled stollen breads and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure the water, for dissolving the yeast, is warm. Hot water will kill the yeast and cold water doesn't activate it.
- Soak the raisins and dried currants for at least 1 hour before making the dough. It's preferable to soak them overnight.
- You can use orange juice in place of rum for soaking the dried currants if you prefer the German fruit bread alcohol-free.
- If you want a more traditional look, you can leave out the glaze. Instead, brush the hot loaves with butter and then coat them liberally with powdered sugar.
- This stollen recipe is without marzipan. If you like, you can also add store-bought or homemade marzipan in the middle of each roll. You can then shape it into an oval shape as authentic German Christmas stollen.
Natasha says
This stollen recipe is a labor of love that's so worth it! It's the perfect recipe for sharing, keep one loaf for yourself and gift the other!