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
Melissa says
I made this last year and it was AMAZING! IS there a suitable egg substitute that you would recommend? My daughter is now vegan. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Melissa, thank you! One of the most common vegan egg substitutes is flax meal mixed with water. If you do an online search for “flegg” you’ll find lots of instructions.
Zarene Ann says
Hi! Thank you so much for the recipe. It worked so well. I just would like to ask, because I live in the Philippines and it’s humid here. I started making the bread today and wrapped it with cling wrap and aluminum foil. Do I need to keep the bread in the fridge? Will the bread still be okay after a month of keeping it? Thank you very much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Zarene Ann, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! For the Stollen to keep that long they don’t need to be stored in the fridge but they do need to be stored in a cool place. If your climate is warm I don’t think I’d risk storing it that long outside the fridge. The Stollen will become very firm in the fridge and I recommend heating up the slices briefly in the microwave, just for a few seconds, before serving.
Zarene Ann says
Thank you very much for the advice! :) will be making more stollen by the first week of december for gifting, by then, will be storing them in a cool place. I did notice they became very firm in the fridge. God bless!
Karen says
I apologize for not searching the comments for an answer to this question. Is there something you can substitute for the rum?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Karen, flavor-wise there really isn’t a substitute for rum. If you prefer not to use it you can simply omit it.
Janice Clement says
This recipe worked perfectly. I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour (instead of regular white flour) and was concerned it would be dry but is not at all. Surprisingly, when I posted photos of my masterpieces on social media, folks were like “what is that?” – Apparently they don’t have any Germans in their families/friend groups! I
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Janice, those are just the responses of the uncultured, haha! :) I’m so glad you enjoyed this and thanks for the feedback about the white whole wheat flour!
Stef says
Great recipe made it today. Made my own citrus peels and marzipan as suggested and it is delicious. The dough is perfect not too sweet so it holds up to the fruit, peels, marzipan, and powdered sugar. Was fun to make and seemed daunting but was super easy and am glad I did it. Next will be the German Ginger Cookies. Thank you for the recipe. So glad I made it. Will definitely make again and again. I did use golden raisins, dried cherries, and dried apricots and made my marzipan pistachio. I only felt brave enough to make those changes because of all of your instructions. Thank you again. Keep up the great recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Stef! I’m so glad you made it, were able to include your own favorite additions, and that it turned out such a success – thanks for the feedback!
Lori says
Do your recipes have adjustments for high altitude?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lori, no they do not.
Kathleen says
Has anyone eaten Entenmann’s fruit stollen? I’m wondering how this recipe compares to the texture of theirs? They’ve stopped producing them and my family has had entenmann fruit stollen every Thanksgiving morning for every year of my life. It will be missed but I’m looking to make a tastier versio. With a similar texture. Thank you!
Also, is there a substitute for cardamom if I can’t find any? I’ve been to 4 stores already and nothing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathleen, there’s no substitute for cardamom but you can simply omit it. It will still taste great. I’ve never had Entenmann’s Stollen but perhaps our readers can chime in on that.
Anonymous says
Thank you! 😊
Linzekc says
If we are making the homemade candy citrus peels, do we omit the other candies peels from the recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, the homemade candied citrus peels are what you’ll use in place of store-bought.
Clint says
For over 40 years we have been getting Stollen from a German baker we know. It is our Christmas tradition to have it Christmas morning. As our kids have moved out on their own they took the tradition with them. Well this past year our “source” retired and it looked like it would be a bleak Christmas.
But I think you have saved the day… this certainly looks like what he made (minus the Marzipan) and would be my best guess as to the ingredients so next week we will start by making our own candied citrus and, weekend after Thanksgiving, my son is coming to make Stollen with us using this recipe with only a couple of small changes; no marzipan and golden raisins rather than regular dark ones.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That would be horrible for such a long-held tradition to come to end! I’m glad you’ve found a solution and though it will mean a lot more effort than buying them, I’m confident your family is going to find it well worth it. Plus that will be the beginning of a new rewarding tradition – baking the Stollen together :) I’m glad you’ll be making the candied citrus peel yourself, it makes a massive difference. If you end up liking this recipe you should really try one with the homemade marzipan next time, it’s fabulous. I’d really love to hear your feedback on what you and your family think of these once you’ve tried them. Thanks, Clint!
Sybille says
I lost my source as well this year and tried this one with golden raisin and store bought candied lemon lime and orange peel and no marzipan My mom came from Northern Germany and this is how she made it and Dad came from southern Germany and they had raisins and currants and chopped Almonds for texture I liked both since it was our to have this as a breakfast treat
Katherine says
Hi, I made this last year using your recipes for homemade marzipan and citrus peel. The compliments never stopped rolling in, and suffice to say I’m gearing up for the new Xmas baking season now and this is on the top of my list. With a small baby at home I find this more manageable than making hundred of Plätzchen to give as gifts. My question is whether you can see any reason why these wouldn’t work as Mini Stollen, I’m thinking about half the size. Let me know. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katherine, I’m so glad to hear that! Absolutely, this works perfectly for mini Stollen. You’ll just need to reduce the baking time and you can use the toothpick test to check for doneness.
Lola Perez says
Hello, I Luke tour recipe and I am going to tu it. How do you fold the dough of you are not using marzipan?
Thank you in advance.
Greetings from Ecuador, South America
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lola, you’ll still fold it the same way by overlapping sides and pressing down the middle to give the Stollen its characteristic shape.
Dylan Haynes says
great:)
Ash says
This might be a silly question, but I’ve never actually seen the recipe of Stollen (or other such fruitcakes) and haven’t tasted it either – but I’d like to. I’m only wondering, doesn’t the rum for the fruit make this recipe unsuitable for kids to enjoy? Or is it not a concern?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ash, there is only 1/3 cup of rum in the entire batch. That’s 16 teaspoons divided by 24 servings which equates to only about 1/2 teaspoon of rum per serving. On top of that much of the alcohol will dissipate through the baking process. In the end you won’t really be getting any more alcohol than you would be by eating chocolate chip cookies made with vanilla extract.
Ash says
Thanks for the answer! I’ll definitely be making this recipe near winter time!
Char says
Thanks for the link to this recipe! i’m already in love and cant wait to try it this Christmas!
michelle says
what can i do if i dont like the taste of marzifan but i do love Almonds, does almonds spread can make it better ?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Michelle, using marzipan is optional. You can simply omit it, no substitutes necessary.
Susan says
Hi Kim,
I see I forgot to rate the recipe, so I am doing it now. This is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Susan
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Susan, I appreciate it!
Susan says
Well, they were amazing! They went too quickly! Since there are some people promised some, but did not get any, And since I do have lots of candied peel in the fridge and almond meal, I have decided to make several little loaves tomorrow to give them, I am guessing that the internal temperature would be the same. Since they will be much smaller loaves, they should not take as long to rise or bake. Would it be best to age them for two weeks? Right now I am thinking of making six loaves, but we will see what happens. I am soaking the nuts and raisins tonight, so that will be one less thing I have to do tomorrow.Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Susan, thank you! Correct, same internal temp but less baking time. The rise time will probably be close to the same, maybe a little less. I’m neutral on the aging question – I enjoy eating mine the same day!
Ash says
Hi, Susan!
I’d love to hear how it worked out with the mini versions? I’m thinking of making one normal size loaf for the family and a couple of smaller sized loaves for gifting.
How did it turn out for you? :)