German Stollen have been around for nearly 700 years and are prized throughout the world as one of the most famous and beloved of all Christmas pastries. Your search for the BEST authentic German Stollen recipe has ended: Flaky, moist, and divinely flavorful, these homemade German Christmas Stollen are INCREDIBLE!
For more traditional German Christmas recipes be sure to also try our Pfeffernüsse, Lebkuchen, Springerle, Vanillekipferl and Zimtsterne!
Sweet cakes and breads studded with candied fruits and nuts are hallmarks of Christmas baking in many areas of the world. Examples include fruitcake which is traditional throughout the English speaking nations, panettone in Italy, keks in Poland, julekake in Norway, bolo-rei in Portugal and birnenbrot in Switzerland. But perhaps none are revered as highly throughout the world as German Stollen.
I grew up in southern Germany and celebrating the Christmas season without homemade Stollen was simply unthinkable.
What is Stollen?
Christmas stollen, known in Germany as Christstollen, is a yeast bread that is baked with dried fruits, candied citrus peel, nuts and spices. Variations include Mandelstollen (almond), Mohnstollen (poppy seed), Quarkstollen (quark), Nuss-Stollen (nuts), Butterstollen (high butter content), Dresdner Stollen and Marzipanstollen.
Stollen are famously dusted with a thick coat of powdered sugar, reminiscent of the snowy German landscape, and baked with spices conveying the warmth of the Christmas season.
© shutterstock
Where Did Stollen Originate?
The first and most famous variety of stollen is the Dresdner Christstollen. Some historians date its origin back to 1329 and over the centuries the stollen was refined to become what it is today. And it has come a long way indeed because up until 1650 the stollen was a bland, hard pastry as the use of butter and milk was forbidden during Lent by the Catholic church. It was in this year that Prince Ernst von Sachsen, at the request of the bakers of Dresden, petitioned the pope to lift the butter ban. The request was denied and then, five popes later, the ban was finally lifted in 1490 via the pope’s famous Butterbrief, “butter letter.”
From that point the stollen gradually developed into an enjoyable sweet bread incorporating additional ingredients and it become an important symbol of the region. King August II in 1730 commissioned the bakers of Dresden to bake a gigantic stollen in celebration of the strength of the Saxon military, an event to which he invited the dignitaries of Europe in the hope of building allies. The stollen weighed 1.8 tons (that’s 3600 pounds!), was 27 feet long and 18 feet wide and a special oven was designed and built just for this purpose. It took a convoy of eight horses to transport the stollen to the king’s table and a 26 pound and 5 1/4 foot-long knife was used to cut it.
Germany’s first Christmas market was held in Dresden in 1434. This market, the Dresdner Striezelmarkt, continues to be held every year. Also held annually on the Saturday prior to the 2nd Advent is the Dresdner Stollenfest featuring Germany’s largest Christstollen. So far 2013 holds the record for the largest Stollen weighing nearly 9400 pounds! Each year a horse-drawn carriage parades the giant stollen through the streets and on to the Christmas market. Per tradition, a replica of the original 5-foot long knife is used to slice the stollen. The mayor of the city tastes the first piece and the stollen is then cut into thousands of pieces that are sold with the proceeds going to charity.
© Lianem | Dreamstime
The Symbolism Behind Stollen
The word “stollen” refers to a post or boundary stone for a city. It is also thought it could refer to the entrance of a mine shaft. Some historians believe that the stollen’s characteristic shape was molded after the shape of a mine tunnel, reflective of the silver and tin mining industries of the time. But there is also religious symbolism behind the stollen with the loaf, or bread, being symbolic of the body of Christ. Specifically, being dusted with powdered sugar, it is symbolic of the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes. Thus it is traditionally called Christstollen, or Christ Stollen.
How to Make Stollen
I’m sharing with you my recipe for Stollen which is thoroughly authentic in its method and ingredients. It features dried fruits, candied lemon peel, nuts and marzipan (which you can omit if you choose). I LOVE the addition of marzipan and it’s one of the most popular varieties of Stollen. Don’t worry about having to go out and buy some, it is unbelievably quick and easy to make your own (seriously, it takes about 5 minutes). Check out our recipe for Easy Homemade Marzipan!
A Word About Store-Bought Candied Citrus Peel (do you hate it as much as I do?)
I have to tell you, I absolutely detest store-bought candied citrus peel. And most people I speak to feel the same. It has a bizarre chemical flavor no matter the brand. For that reason I’ve never been a fan of fruitcakes in general. BUT using your own homemade candied citrus peel is a 100% deal changer.
While you can use store-bought candied citrus peel if you insist, I VERY, VERY STRONGLY recommend making your own. Please, trust me on this: Using homemade candied citrus peel is the difference between night and day when it comes to flavor! It is vastly superior in every way and will make your Stollen taste incredible! And the good news is it can be made far, far in advance. In fact, I freeze mine so it lasts basically forever and I take out what I need as needed. Check out our recipe for Candied Orange Peel!
For anyone who may be feeling a little intimidated at the thought of making Stollen, don’t be. If you can make a cake or a loaf of bread, you can make Stollen. But while it’s easy to make, it’s not quick to make. There’s a waiting game involved both during the baking process and the aging process. In the baking process the Stollen dough has to rise a couple of times just like in making yeast bread. Then it has to bake for a while. And then there’s the waiting process. Typically the Stollen is tightly wrapped and kept in a cool place to age for 2-3 weeks before eating. This allows the liquid from the rum-soaked dried fruits to soak into the bread creating both flavor and moistness.
NOW, while letting Stollen age will allow the flavors to fully penetrate the bread, our Stollen is absolutely AMAZING straight out of the oven! So the question of to wait or not to wait we’ll leave up to you.
Fun trivia: Fruitcakes that contain a lot of alcohol can remain edible for years. Yes, years. For example, the Antarctic Heritage Trust discovered a 106-year-old fruitcake last year and after sampling it (the brave souls) they said it was not only in “excellent condition” for its age but was even “almost” edible! Another fruitcake baked in 1878 in Michigan was kept as a family heirloom and sampled for the first time in 2003 by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. It’s amazing what an incredible preservative alcohol is. So in other words, as long as you keep your Stollen tightly wrapped and in a cool place, letting it age for 2 weeks is, like, nothing.
Lastly, if you’ve never been a huge fan of store-bought Stollen you’re not alone. I’ve never cared for them either. But homemade…that’s an entirely different story.
Your search for the best Stollen recipe has ended: Flaky, moist, and divinely flavorful, these homemade German Christmas Stollen are INCREDIBLE!
Authentic German Stollen Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the raisins, candied citrus peel and almonds in a medium bowl and pour the rum over it. Stir to combine. Set aside and let the fruit mixture soak in the rum while the dough rises.
Stir the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the lukewarm milk and let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until very frothy.
Place the flour, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, cardamom, mace and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast/milk mixture.
Use a spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together. Knead the dough on the bread setting and once the dough comes together continue to knead for 7 minutes.
Remove the dough ball, lightly spray the bowl with a little oil, return the dough ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place or lightly warmed oven (just barely warm), to rise until nearly doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and add the soaked fruit/nut mixture to the dough (it should have absorbed all the rum by now but if there is excess liquid, pour it out before adding the mixture to the dough).
Using the dough hook, knead the fruit/nut mixture into the dough until combined. If the dough is too wet to handle, add a little bit of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
Cut the dough in two equal halves. Press or roll each piece into an oval to about 1 inch thickness. Roll each piece of marzipan into a log the length of the oval. Press the marzipan gently into the middle of the dough.
Fold the left side of the dough over to cover the marzipan, then fold right side over on top of the left side so that the edge of it sits just left of the middle of the stollen. In other words, don’t fold the right side all the way over to the left edge of the stollen.
Pinch and tuck the top and bottom ends of the stollen to cover the marzipan.
Use the bottom edge of your hand to press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump.
Place the stollen on a lined baking sheet. Cover the stollen loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm place or lightly warmed oven for 40-60 minutes until puffy.
At this point you can pick off any raisins that are sticking out of the dough (they will burn during baking).
Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the stollen for 30-40 minutes or until golden. You can use an instant read thermometer to aim for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.
Let them sit for 5 minutes, then use a toothpick to poke holes all over the stollen. This will allow the melted butter to seep in.
Generously brush the stollen with the melted butter while the stollen are still warm.
Immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar, rubbing it into the creases and down the sides. Let the stollen cool completely.
The stollen can be sliced and eaten now or wrapped tightly (I like to wrap in plastic wrap then foil) and left to “ripen” in a cool place for 2 weeks. The liquid from the dried fruits will further penetrate the dough for more flavor and moisture.
Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.
For eating, I like to warm the slices up for a few seconds in the microwave, it makes the crumb nice and soft.
Slice and enjoy!
For more traditional German Christmas goodies try our:
- Pfeffernüsse
- Lebkuchen
- Springerle
- Gugelhupf
- Printen
- Speculoos
- Vanillekipferl
- Zimtsterne
- Kokosmakronen
- Magenbrot
- Bethmännchen
- Heidesand
- German Rum Balls
BEST Authentic Stollen (German Christmas Bread)
Ingredients
- For the Dough:
- 1 cup lukewarm whole milk
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour ***NOTE: Amount will vary depending on how much liquid is in your fruit/nut mixture. Be sure to drain any excess liquid. Add more flour as needed if dough is too wet.
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) , at room temperature so it's very soft
- 2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
- zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon ground mace (recommended but can substitute nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces Homemade Marzipan/Almond Paste , divided in half (you can omit the marzipan if you prefer)
- or store-bought marzipan/almond paste
- For the Fruits & Nuts:
- 9 ounces raisins
- 3 ounces candied lemon peel , finely diced
- 3 ounces candied orange peel , finely diced
- Homemade Candied Citrus Peel Recipe (we VERY STRONGLY recommend using homemade, it makes ALL the difference!)
- 3 ounces blanched slivered or sliced almonds , finely chopped
- 1/3 cup quality dark rum
- For the Glaze & Dusting:
- 1 stick unsalted butter , melted
- powdered sugar for generous dusting
Instructions
- Place the raisins, candied citrus peel and almonds in a medium bowl and pour the rum over it. Stir to combine. Set aside and let the fruit mixture soak in the rum while the dough rises.
- Stir the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the lukewarm milk and let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until very frothy.
- Place the flour, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, cardamom, mace and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast/milk mixture. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together. Knead the dough on the bread setting for 7-8 minutes. Remove the dough ball, lightly spray the bowl with a little oil, return the dough ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place or lightly warmed oven (just barely warm), to rise until nearly doubled in size, at least 1 hour (likely closer to 2 hours depending on the temperature of the environment).
- Punch down the dough and add the soaked fruit/nut mixture to the dough (it should have absorbed all the rum by now but if there is excess liquid, pour it out before adding the mixture to the dough). Using the dough hook, knead the fruit/nut mixture into the dough until combined. If the dough is too wet to handle, add a little bit of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it in two equal halves. Press or roll each piece into an oval to about 1 inch thickness. Roll each piece of marzipan into a log the length of the oval. Press the marzipan gently into the middle of the dough. Fold the left side of the dough over to cover the marzipan, then fold right side over on top of the left side so that the edge of it sits just left of the middle of the stollen (see pics). In other words, don't fold the right side all the way over to the left edge of the stollen. Pinch and tuck the top and bottom ends of the stollen to cover the marzipan. Use the bottom edge of your hand to press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump (see pics). Place the stollen on a lined baking sheet. Cover the stollen loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm place or lightly warmed oven for 40-60 minutes until puffy. At that point you can pick off any raisins that are sticking out of the dough (they will burn during baking).
- Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the stollen for 30-40 minutes or until golden. You can use an instant read thermometer to aim for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. Let the Stollen sit for 5 minutes, then use a toothpick to poke holes all over the stollen (this will allow the butter to seep in), then generously brush the stollen with the melted butter while the stollen are still warm. Immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar, rubbing it into the creases and down the sides. Let the stollen cool completely. You may want to give it another dusting of powdered sugar once cooled.
- The stollen can be sliced and eaten now or wrapped tightly (wrap in plastic wrap then foil) and left to "ripen" in a cool place for 2 weeks. The liquid from the dried fruits will further penetrate the dough for more flavor and moisture. Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.
- Makes 2 large or 3 medium Stollen.For eating, I like to warm the slices up for a few seconds in the microwave, it makes the crumb nice and soft.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet November 20, 2018
Nancy Kendrick says
I like the idea of soaking the fruit in booze first, but I’m not fond of rum. Could you use whiskey or vodka? Or even amaretto, grand marnier, or kirsch for a different flavor?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nancy, absolutely, you can use any liquor/flavor of your choice.
Sandra Ford says
Regarding the salt. Should I use Kosher salt or table salt?
Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sandra, whichever you have, you can use either.
Aleda says
I am cooking the citrus peel as I write this! And so excited to make this stollen. It is something I miss so much around Christmas time. My question is… I want to make some for a couple friends that don’t drink. I am wondering what I can use in replace of the rum in the recipe. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Aleda, you can use apple juice instead. Just keep in mind that it won’t have the preserving ability that the rum does, so you won’t want to make it far in advance. I’m happy you’re making the homemade candied peels, you won’t regret it! :)
Liz says
Hi Kimberly – I made this recipe twice last year and it was a huge hit. I’m thinking of making a bunch of Christmas baskets and wondering if this dough would work for smaller stollen loafs..say if I made 5 small instead of 2 large? I’m not sure of timing, but I’m thinking I could just use the thermometer as you suggest. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Liz, I’m so glad they were a hit, thank you! Yes, you can absolutely make smaller Stollen. Yes, baking time will be less and will depend on the size of the loaf but just as you’ve already said, you can use the thermometer. Happy baking and the recipients of your Christmas baskets are very lucky! :)
Lee Ann says
This recipe looks amazing! I’m thinking of making this for the holidays and am wondering how long they are good for when left out of refrigerator/freezer?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lee Ann, don’t keep them in the fridge, they’ll dry out, but they can be frozen. They should be stored in a cool place, like a basement or a cool garage, and will keep for at least a couple of weeks. If they’re stored at room temperature I’d probably give them about a week.
Dorothea McEwan says
what on earth are 1 and a half sticks of butter? Weight indication please.
thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dorothea, there’s a metric conversion built right into the recipe. To the right of the list of ingredients simply click on the “Metric” button next to “US Customary.”
Edward Birch says
Have pressed the’Metric’ button and the recipe still states ‘A stick of unsalted butter ‘
Can you enlighten me please?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Edward, it states the grams. When you click the “Metric” button the 3/4 cup on the left is replaced with 170 grams.
Sheena says
I think it’s pretty self explanatory myself.
karleen jordan gill says
In the US, butter is packaged in sticks, which are 1/2 cup (4 ounces) each. Other countries do not package their butter this way (I am in Canada, and our butter is sold in 500g bricks).
Roshni Mathew says
This was a huge hit with my friends, family and neighours last year. I intend on making this for them again this year. However, several new friends I’ve made don’t eat egg. Would you have any suggestions on how I can make the dough without egg ? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Roshni, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! “Flax eggs” are a popular egg substitute in baking. If you do an online search for “how to make a flax egg” you’ll find instructions for it.
Melissa says
Hi! The ingredient list says candied lemon peel, candied orange peel, and homemade candied citrus peel. Are there really three different peel mixtures, or do you measure out 6 ounces from the homemade candied citrus peel with lemons and oranges? Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Melissa, it’s either store-bought candied peel OR homemade candied peel. You can use either, I just recommend making your own and provide a link to the recipe. You’ll use 6 ounces total.
nancy essig says
I did make this last year and my German Mother said it was the best she ever had. In regards to procedure though, you say when the dough comes togethere then you knead for 7 minutes. Well, I needed for 7 minutes and the dough never came away from the sides so I kneaded another 7 minutes, adding a bit more flour periodically and I still never got the ball that you picture. I thought if I kneaded any more than 15 minutes in total ir would be tough. It is now rising but I was hoping you can clarify those instructions please
Barbara Taylor says
Perhaps the milk was too hot. Time of milk should not be over 225, or it will kill the yeast. Not to take away the recipe, I start the yeast in about 1/2 cup of warm water and add 2 teaspoons of sugar and let it foam and rise a little. The milk is usually mix with the next set of ingredients. I don’t use the rum either. My mother use to make stollen in the winter and spring. I use her recipe, which is very similar to above, but I don’t use raisins either(personal taste). This bread is GREAT!
Kathy says
I made this today, first time making stollen. Haven’t tasted it yet, but it’s looking amazing! I followed your advice and made my own candied citrus peel, that’s so delicious in itself! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I made it in honor of my Mom who passed last year, she loved her German stollen and use to make her own when we were young. Thank you again
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Kathy, thank you, and what a wonderful way to honor your mom. Hugs to you! :)
Barbara Taylor says
I just read my reply, temp of fluid for the yeast should not be over 125f. Milk should be scalded to mix with ingredients, but cooled to 125 or less to aff yeast.
Pamela Throop says
Hello Kimberly,
I love stolen, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I candied the citrus as you suggested. Labor intensive but you’re so right, it is intensely flavorful. Living in the hinterland of Fairbanks, Alaska we had to go to 5 stores to find mace. Finally baking day arrived…today. I have been assembling ingredients for two weeks. I did everything just as you suggested. Normally, I read a recipe and throw it away and go prepare whatever. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. However, this time I wanted the perfection you made my mouth water with when you talked about this stolen. I went step by step and when I got to the base dough it seemed pretty stiff. It is winter here but we do live inside with heat. Our air is very dry though. It took three hours for it to double even though the bowl with the dough was sitting in a warm water bath. I then kneaded by hand the fruit and nut mixture into the dough. It took quite an effort and time. I rolled it out, placed the marzipan down the middle, folded it as you showed, although not as skillfully as you. Again, it took a very long time to raise. I grew impatient in about 3 hours and put it in the oven. The taste is incredible. It is heavy and feels very moist which I think is in part due to the marzipan and it is rather crumbly when trying to cut it. Also, the butter didn’t exactly go into the toothpick holes. I think I may not have chopped the citrus and nuts enough which could account for some of the crumbling. My question is should I have added more liquid to the dough. If the dough had been softer would that have made a difference to the texture and the crumbling. In my family it will get eaten – but I wanted it to be perfect. Any suggestions for next time? Thanks for your blog. I love reading recipes almost as much as making them. Pam
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Pamela and friendly greetings to Alaska! My husband is from Anchorage :) That’s wonderful that you took the time to make your own candied citrus and didn’t give up on your hunt for mace until you found it. Yes, it definitely sounds like your dough was too dry which accounts at least in part for it not rising properly and the outcome being dry and crumbly. So next time I would add a little bit more liquid. I hope you reach the perfection your looking for this next time – happy baking! :)
Sam says
I made this recipe in 2020. First time making a stollen. It was AMAZING right out of the oven. Self restraint went out the window. I did wrap one up and waited as suggested but it was not nearly as good. The icing was kinda slick and bread harder. I thought I did a good job wrapping it up. I do live near the Gukf Coast and humidity tends to be higher. I plan on making it again this year buy with rum soaked raisins and homemade candied citrus. I’m already drooling.
Anonymous says
Never liked store bought citrus peel. The flavor of this is so good… Is all I use now! Keep it in my freezer for whenever want a little extra zip in a recipe!!
Sandra S. says
It is the best German Stollen ever best recipe too. Everything is so nature made. I make everything homemade from fruits to almond paste my favorite MARZIPAN STOLLEN. I’m from Germany living in the United States and make this recipe every year. The ingredients always match perfect everytime its getting better, still using all same ingredients. 😋
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Sandra, I really appreciate your feedback! :)
Sandra S. says
You are very welcome. I will try some of your other recipes soon 😋
Mike says
Read so many positive, glowing comments!
This obviously authentic recipe is a must do for the holidays .
Just wondering if a dry roast for the sliced almonds be advantageous for flavor ?
Thanks, Mike
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mike, for a more pronounced almond flavor you can certainly do that. Happy baking and I hope you enjoyed the Stollen! :)
Linda says
Hi there-
Made this recipe last year- WOW!!! We have been buying stollen from our favorite German bakery for 50 years and now find out they are closing soon. So I thought I’d give it a try- thinking there is no way it will be as good as theirs- boy was I wrong!!! This recipe is absolutely amazing- rich, flavorful and beautiful texture!!! Thank you for sharing it!
One quick question-
The single recipe makes 1 stollen or 2? I don’t remember.
Thank you- Merry Christmas🎄
Linda
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Linda, I’m so happy that you made and enjoyed it! This recipe makes 2 Stollen. Merry Christmas!