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.Â
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:Â 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:
- PfeffernüsseÂ
- Lebkuchen Â
- Springerle
- Gugelhupf
- PrintenÂ
- SpeculoosÂ
- VanillekipferlÂ
- Zimtsterne
- Kokosmakronen
- Magenbrot
- Bethmännchen
- HeidesandÂ
- 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
Alexandra says
I made this for the first time last year and it was a huge hit! I gave a loaf to my elderly neighbour who grew up in Germany, and he said it was perfect and brought back memories of his childhood. I’m super excited to make it again this year!
Here’s my question, and it may be a dumb one, but when storing it in a ‘cool’ place, how cool is cool? I’m wondering if I should keep it in my basement where it’s a little cooler than my 23C/74F pantry on the main floor. Last year we ate it right after it came out of the oven but I’d like to make it further in advance this year.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Alexandra! :) The ideal range is somewhere between 50-64 degrees F. An unheated basement is ideal, both from a temperature and a humidity standpoint (to prevent the Stollen from drying out like it would if it were stored in the fridge).
Angela Prior says
I made 2, we ate the first straight away. Then I made 2 more for my children and families. My youngest daughter is avoiding milk because her daughter has allergy to dairy. I made another using coconut milk and vegan butter. So all 3 have a stollen for Christmas. This recipe is brilliant. I made the marzipan and candied peels as well. The milk and butter free one looks just the same as the others.
Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them, Angela, and that you took the time to make the candied peels and marzipan. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Elizabeth Naylor says
I love this recipe and I’ve made it 2 years in a row now. I’m wondering if it’s supposed to be a little dry? I know a lot of European baked goods are a little dry. The flavor is amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Elizabeth! Yes, Stollen are supposed to be pretty dry (keep in mind it’s more a of yeast bread than a cake) and are meant to be eaten as a tea cake with a hot beverage.
Janet Thompson says
Made the stollen last year and it was a triumph! The family have demanded I make it this year so just waiting for them to do second rise before baking. I also made the marzipan and sugered fruit – such a wonderful difference in taste. Thanks for such an amazing recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You’re a rock star, Janet, thank you so much for the compliment and feedback!
Alma Barseghian says
This was awsome, I live in a place where no factory made Stollens are available. i made this recipe for 3 years and its absolutely delicious.
as u recommended i made all materials myself (candied citrus and marzipan)
thank u for sharing :).
by the way i add a little bit cranberries and it went very well🙂
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Alma, and that’s fantastic that you take the time to make the candied citrus and marzipan yourself, it makes all the difference in the flavor! :)
Helena Madgwick says
Dear Daring Gourmet, thank you! First time I’ve ever made Stollen and the recipe you have given is great. I too had to add a bit more flour into the mix to get a less wet dough but that’s fine. Will be making again as both loaves got demolished by friends and colleagues! Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Helena, I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Eva says
Hello, two questions: would the baking time be the same if the the dough is divided into 3 loaves? And second, is the baking time affected at all if omitting marzipan? They don’t sell raw marzipan where I live (unfortunately, though they do consume a lot of marzipan sweets!), and I don’t have the utensils to make my own. Thanks! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Eva, the baking time will be less since the loaves are smaller. The target internal temperature will remain the same. And no, omitting the marzipan does not affect the baking time. Happy baking!
Mary Holt says
Can this be made in a bread machine
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mary, I’ve never tried. Perhaps one of our readers has and can chime in.
Kailee says
I use the rapid setting to kneed the dough on its first mix (after combining by hand),and then turn it off so that it does its first dose there too (on the rapid setting, it starts warming during the kneading. I do the rest by hand, but the bread machine does a great job of mixing.
Tim says
Hi – I’ve used a bread machine to mix the dough for the last couple of years and it’s worked really well. I add the liquid ingredients first (milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla), then sugar, flour, spices and yeast. I run it through the dough cycle on the bread machine and let it sit in it for an extra 45 minutes to give it time to fully rise.
Then I punch it down and add in the fruit/nut mix, and redo the dough cycle for 8 minutes to knead the mix in to the loaf (on my machine I do this on the second knead cycle). After that it can be shaped into the loaves and left to rise before baking in the oven, as in the recipe.
I’ve tried several stollen recipes and this is my favourite. Thanks Kimberly!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Tim, and thanks also for the bread machine info!
Franny says
I forgot the lemon zest and it’s too late to go back. Is Christmas ruined?!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Franny! The lemon zest adds a lot, I won’t lie, but Christmas will be just fine without it :)
Peter says
I’ve added a bit of a spin on the final touch, I use the sugar left from the candied peel, and a bit of lemon zest, and rub that in after I brush with butter. Then after, I do the final coat of powdered sugar! You could use the lemon zest in some regular sugar and try a similar technique!
Toni says
I used lemon extract because I had no zest and it was excellent
Juliana Tibbet says
This recipe was so popular with my family I made an extra batch and shipped it, because the original batch was inhaled before Christmas. I made the marzipan (which I avoided before and my own fruit peel using your directions. Love your recipes Thank you and Merry Christmas
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Juliana, thank you so much and Merry Christmas to you and your family! :)
Carrie says
In UK is it better to use bread flour rather than ordinary flour? Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Carrie, “plain flour” in the UK is the same as all-purpose flour and that’s what I recommend for this.
Janet Thompson says
Hi, will it last longer than 2 weeks?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Janet, yes, if it’s wrapped really well and stored in a cool place (not the fridge where it will dry out).
Connie M Davis says
Merry Christmas Kimberly & thank for reminding me of this great stollen recipe. I’ll be busy as a Stollen Bee in next few days so I can make this in time to send to my 94 year young Mom. You’re the best.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Connie! :)
Diane Conti says
Thanks for posting what appears to be a GREAT recipe! I live in southeastern Turkey where nuts, marzipan, all kinds of dried fruits and candied peel are fresh and fantastic. I had planned to make an Italian panettone, purchasing all the ingredients, including a new bottle of Bacardi. Now after seeing your stollen recipe I’m making this instead!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Great choice, Diane! :) I love panettone as well (I have my recipe for it here) but for Christmas fruit breads this Stollen is hands down my favorite. Happy baking and please let us know what you think! :)
Sarah says
Is the raisin amount correct? 225g is A LOT. I put in all of the fruit and nuts as directed, but ended up with a mixture that was 75g and at the bottom of the mixer bowl. I kneaded in everything that the mixer could deal with, but tossed the extra 75g. I cross referenced the fruit amounts with my German cookbook and it called for only 100g raisins. There was no way there was enough dough to incorporate all of that fruit. The Stollen from our bakery doesn’t have that much fruit in it. I can’t imagine trying to get marzipan in there too. I’m very puzzled…
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sarah, yes, that amount is correct.
sarah says
Help! I just made this for the first time. Internal temp hit 190 but when I cut in and had a slice it is not fully cooked. I live at 8000ft & didn’t adjust for the altitude. Is there anything I can do to save my stollen?!? SOS😩😩
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sarah, the only thing you can try is popping it back in the oven and cooking it a little longer.