Stollen (2024)

No holiday season is complete without a festive sweet bread like German stollen! An age-old tradition of 700+ years, this bread delights with divine flavors that inspire Christmas cheer. Dried fruits, nuts, candied citrus, marzipan, and warm spices stud and flavor this tender and moist sweat bread. It’s perfect for Holiday dessert tables, gifting, and snacking on when wrapping presents or decorating the Christmas tree.

Though the recipe steps are simple enough for novice bakers, the bread kneading and proofing process do call for a bit of time and patience, but the end result is more than worth it. Brush the warm loaves of bread with melted butter and sprinkle with a generous amount of confectioner’s sugar for a holiday treat the whole family will love and will request again in the years to come. For more holiday bread recipes, check out my star bread recipe, panettone recipe, and cranberry orange bread.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Candied Citrus Peel – chopped candied orange peel and lemon peel are trademarks of traditional stollen recipes! You will need ½ cup of each. Use store-bought candied citrus peel, or make and use your own candied orange zest!

Dark Rum – if possible, choose a decent quality dark rum as it is an important flavoring ingredient. I often use aged spiced rum, but any variety of your favorite dark rum will work.

Milk – choose whole milk for moist, flaky, and rich bread. 2% milk can be substituted in a pinch, but the full-fat variety is the best option. Warm the milk until just warm to the touch, or until 110-120°F.

Active Dry Yeast – always use yeast with a good expiration date for perfectly risen bread and be sure to grab active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. If purchasing your yeast ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

Unsalted Butter – opt for unsalted butter for the best flavor, as different brands of butter add different amounts of salt to their salted varieties. Cube the butter and bring it to room temperature for 1-2 hours before starting on the recipe, or until the butter is very soft.

Spices – ground cinnamon and ground mace. For the best flavor, use spices with a good expiration date. Ground mace is a spice derived from the nutmeg arils; if you do not have it, you can substitute ground nutmeg.

Marzipan – or, almond paste. Choose marzipan for a slightly sweeter filling and almond paste for a less sweet and more almond-forward flavor. Both store-bought and homemade varieties of marzipan and almond paste are great options, though homemade can have a fresher flavor.

Powdered Sugar – this light and fluffy sugar is what gives stollen its iconic appearance. Not only does it sweeten the bread, it creates a coating on the outside that helps preserve its freshness and allows the bread to age, developing more flavor over time. To make your own, follow my recipe for homemade powdered sugar.

Vanilla Extract – use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste for sweet, nutty, and perfectly balanced bread.

How to Make Stollen

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

2. In a large bowl or 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 all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, salt, cardamom, and mace to the bloomed yeast. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment on the stand mixer, beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is well combined and smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. If using the stand mixer, 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 sides of the bowl. If kneading by hand, mix in the flour and lemon zest with a wooden spoon until combined before turning out onto a lightly floured surface and kneading by hand. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is about doubled in size, or for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.

4. 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 or for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the dough 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.

5. Divide the dough in half. Using your hands or a rolling pin, shape each half into a 7×11-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. If needed, lightly sprinkle the rolling spin or your hands with flour as well. Shape the marzipan into 2 (10-inch) long logs. Place a marzipan log down the center of each oval.

6. 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. Be careful to 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 or for about 30 to 45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the risen loaves and brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the outside is golden brown. Place on a wire cooling rack. Brush the hot loaves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Let cool for 20 minutes.

8. 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.

Pro Tips For Making This Recipe

• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve tried this stollen recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!