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
Freda says
I’ve made 4 batches and they came out great, for the first try. Haven’t tasted them yet, it’s a German tradition to eat Stollen Christmas morning! Only thing, I needed to add more flour, the dough was sticky and, I used orange liqueur instead of rum, and less citrus, since my children don’t like it too much! Thank you for your recipe!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You have quite the self-discipline, Freda! Thanks for the feedback and I hope you enjoy your Christmas morning treat!
Irene says
Hi Kimberly – would the stollen turn out well if using bread flour? I am hoping going for a more higher rise/fluffy/bread-like texture and wondering if this will do the trick. Thanks so much! Really excited to make this for our Christmas table!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Irene, bread flour is higher in protein so it will result in a “chewier”, less tender crumb. If that’s what you’re after then yes, you can substitute it. I would recommend making half the batch first just to be sure you’re happy with the results using bread flour.
Monika Fisher says
Kimberly, I used active dry yeast, the one you can buy in small jars or envelopes. Anyway, the finished stollen tastes good. Maybe when I try the next batch I will have better luck!
Thanks for sharing your yummy recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Okay, then just make sure it says “active dry yeast”, not “instant yeast” (those are really easy to confuse) and let it get really frothy before you add it to the flour. Thanks again!
Monika Fisher says
Hi Kimberly, I made your stollen recipe today with the homemade orange and lemon peel – no marzipan -.
Mine didn’t turn out as pretty looking as yours, but smelled wonderful while baking and tasted good once we cut into them. The loaves came out a little flatter – they spread out more. Yeast doughs never were my forte! I liked that the stollen did not turn out overly sweet.
I love your great recipes and, btw, I too grew up in Stuttgart – many years before you though.
In resonse to Dottie, I was wondering if a simple Hefekranz with raisins could substitute for a stollen. I like it as much as a stollen.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Monika, thanks so much for the feedback! I’m not sure if you used dry or fresh yeast but fresh yeast has to be used in a much smaller quantity, otherwise it causes the dough to rise too fast, fill up with air and then pop and deflate in the oven. Just FYI for anyone else who tries substituting fresh yeast for the dry yeast called for in the recipe.
Dottie says
Hi Kimberly, we have a nut allergy and alcohol intolerance in our house. Obviously the taste would be different, but do you think it would be worth a shot to make this without either? My concern is the benefit of the moisture from the rum-soaked fruit. Is it that substantial? Anyone can do without the nuts, but dry stollen? Blech. Thanks so much in advance for your advice!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dottie, you bet, you can simply soak the fruit in apple juice, that will address the moisture component. The Stollen will lack some of it’s traditional flavor and won’t keep as long without the rum, but I don’t think they’re going to last long anyway ;)
Lucy says
I made this last night and it’s delicious! I replaced half the raisins with dried cherries, which turned out quite well. I’ve had stollen since I was a child (‘snow bread’) but never made it myself. Thanks for the recipe!
I assume I can’t cut it in half and age one half, right? It would go stale?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Lucy, thanks so much! As long as you wrap it really well it should be fine.
Katy says
I made the German Stollen for the first time and it is delicious. I cut one right away as I could hardly wait to taste it. I made the marzipan and the candied peel and must admit they both were very easy to make.
I am now going to try to make the Iced Gingerbread cookies. I’ve just ground up all the spices for the cookies. Hope they are as great as the stollen.
This is my first time writing a comment about any of the recipes that I have found online. This one was great! Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Katy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Homemade marzipan, candied peel and Lebkuchengewürz – you are on a roll, I love it! I really appreciate your taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot. Happy baking!
Heather says
Made this today and I’m dying to eat it before it’s even fully cooled! However, mine barely rose. Waited 2.5hrs on first and 1.25hrs on second rise. They didn’t turn golden until the 40 minute mark at which point I wasn’t even sure if it was fully cooked. Also after I sprinkled with confectioner’s powder and attempted to move to a cooling rack, one loaf broke apart. This was my very first time ever making this, so if you have any suggestions for me, I would appreciate it! I will say I grabbed a piece from the broken end and it was AMAZING! Mine was like dense moist cake versus bread. Is this correct? Will definitely add this into my yearly traditions going forward! Just need to correct my mistakes :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Heather, thank you! Correct, it’s like a cross between a dense cake and a bread. And no, it’s not going to rise much, it’s mostly just going to become a little puffy. That’s normal. The Stollen are a little more fragile while they’re still hot and I don’t bother transferring them to a wire rack, I just leave them on the baking sheet to cool.
JessK says
I just pulled two glorious loaves from the oven after a day of making this perfect recipe for Christmas stollen! There is something magical about drawing from the old traditions, bringing them back into the light to observe them more closely. I can’t imagine how many other hands from the past spent the day preparing this dough bedecked with jewels. I followed every step and suggestion down to making almond paste and candied lemon & orange peels ahead of time. There was patient preparation required here, which I truly enjoyed. I am so thankful I stumbled across your beautifully written recipe! Hoping others will take the time to be in fellowship with the season!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Beautifully articulated, Jess, and I’m absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed these Stollen! I’m so happy you took the time to make the candied citrus peel and almond paste, it makes such a huge difference. Thanks again for your feedback!
Patty says
Great recipe! It was my first time making stollen so I assembled a crew and we made 5 batches! I’m glad you mentioned making the candied citrus peel and marzipan because it truly wasn’t very difficult but really added a punch of flavor. We made 10 yesterday, already ate 2, and vacuum sealed 8 to age and give as gifts. We thought it might be worth making 4 1lb loaves per recipe next year so we have some smaller ones to give out to smaller families. Have you tried this recipe broken into 4 loaves? I’m assuming it would just be a shorter cook time but all else the same. Thanks for posting!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
WOW, Patty, that’s awesome!! And I’m so glad your first attempt was a huge success. Thank you! Yes, I have made 4 smaller loaves to give as gifts and exactly right, simply reduce the baking time and keep an eye on them. Thanks again for the feedback!
Kim Lee says
Hi there! Thanks so much for your stollen recipe. Also, thanks for the recipes for candied peel and marzipan. I made it with the homemade peel but store bought marzipan (I already had it on hand!) but it is delicious. Next time I’ll make that, too. I like the touch of cardamom…adds that extra touch of goodness. One question… after the butter I had given the stollen quite a generous coating of icing sugar and then let it cool. After storing it and taking it out to nibble on, the icing sugar had melted and didn’t look very pleasing. I powdered it again, but it doesn’t adhere well. Any suggestions? TIA I’m also going to try a GF version. Will let you know how it turns out!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kim, thank you! The only way to avoid the melted look is to give it a VERY generous powdered sugar coating – and that’s a double emphasis on very). Once you think it’s a generous coating, coat it some more. And yes, it has to be done that first time while the Stollen is warm and freshly buttered. Definitely let us know on that GF version and what flours you used. Thanks again for the feedback!
Kathleen says
Hi Kim😊😊
I was wondering if you had tried this recipe GF and how it came out? I tried one and mine came out very dry 😊
Thanks
Kathleen
M. Testerman says
I am beyond excited about this recipe! I literally went back to the grocery store and returned the citron and lemon bits and made my own. They are drying as I type! This whole thing… the marzipan, candied citrus, stollen…. looks incredible. And so DOABLE! I hope this will be a new tradition in my house!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, yes, YES!! I think I’m as excited as you are, LOL! :) You won’t regret the homemade citrus peel and marzipan for the Stollen. Happy baking and please let us know what you think once you’ve tried everything!
Rita says
I m going to make it next week, my daughter is gluten intolerant can I do this recipe with GF flour from bob s red mills
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rita, I haven’t tried it with GF flour. Being that Stollen is a yeast bread that will obviously hugely alter the texture, rising ability and the flavor. As long as you’re aware of that and don’t judge the results relative to how Stollen are supposed to taste, then absolutely give it a go. Let us know how it turns out!
Sophie Anderson says
Looks fantastic! I love the photos tutorial you’ve included. Your great instructions will hopefully lead to a successful first attempt in making stollen for me. Thank you!
Becca Ray says
My dad’s family is Austrian and my mom’s is German, so stollen is a well-known Christmas institution in our house. My dad is making a smattering of German recipes for Christmas this year (schnitzel and spaetzle are on the docket), and he asked me to bring stollen. I am beyond thrilled to find this recipe, and I hope mine will taste half as good as yours looks! Thanks so much for this.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s exciting, Becca, happy baking and please let us know what you think!