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
Megan Wood says
Merry Christmas from New Zealand! Thank you for this unbelievably great recipe! I had never made Stollen before but I have several German friends and had eaten it a lot but had no idea how to make it, so I am super grateful for your very clear recipe, all the photo steps and also the interesting history- I followed all your advice and made my own marzipan and candied peel from my own oranges and lemons. I spent all day yesterday making it with my son and it was so exciting, every step closer – and when it finally came out and we covered it in butter and sugar- oh my goodness!! We all cheered. It’s Christmas day here in NZ and we have pigged out- I feel so proud and want to say a massive thanks for such a great recipe and for giving me the confidence to make it so successfully!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
This made my day, Megan, thank you! I’m so absolutely thrilled to hear how much your family enjoyed this and how wonderful that your son joined you in your baking adventure!
Silvia Ciofalo says
Is 4 cups of AP flour enough for a cup of milk, 1 1/2 sticks butter plus the eggs? I just mixed my stollen together and it is resting, but I had to continue adding flour as it was too sticky and wet and could not knead it. What did I do wrong? I hope it is easier to handle after the first proofing.
Alluredc says
Wonderful German Stollen! Made this today and it looks and tastes great. I also made candied citrus and orange peel day before and it came out wonderful – used it for this stollen. This is my first time making stollen and canded peels and glad I chose this recipe. Someone wrote that their stollen did not rise – you have to make sure you use a fresh yeast. My rose very well. I forgot to put salt, but it tastes great!I use KitchenAid to khead with a hook. Used Pyrat Rum for soaking. Thank you!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad the candied peels and Stollen were both a success, Alluredc, thanks so much for the feedback!
Rachel says
Three suggestions to other first time stollen bakers: 1) Soak the peel first, microwaving it a little to warm it up and help absorption. Then add the raisins and almonds. The raisins are already soft, but the peel can be very hard. I’ve gotten a couple bits that were rock hard, probably because I removed too much pith on a few pieces when I was making it. 2) Seal the heck out of the seams. Both of mine opened during baking, one far enough the marzipan was exposed at one end. 3) Use a brush to apply the glaze instead of being lazy like me and not bothering to look for it. A spoon is slower, you can’t get the sides well, and too much falls off the bread.
This recipe is delicious! Omg it’s good. I made a few small changes that turned out very well. 1) I used spiced cherry rum to soak the fruit instead of regular rum. 2) Instead of measuring out cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg I just added the amounts together and put in that much garam masala. It contains all three spices and I’ve used it before for spice cookies etc. It contains cumin but you can’t taste it in sweets. 3) Orange zest instead of lemon zest, because I like orange better. 4) I saved the leftover soaking liquid and melted the butter into it, and used that to coat the exterior.
I didn’t change any of the important bits, like the amounts of anything or the mixing method. The texture, sweetness, and richness were perfect. I highly recommend this recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Rachel, thanks so much for the feedback and for your tips!
Monika Stout says
So I made the recipe today, and it tastes amazing, but it didn’t hold the traditional Stollen shape. They flattened out and look like French bread loafs.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Monika, I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor but am sorry your loaves collapsed. Bread collapsing or flattening is caused by over-proofing, when dough is allowed to rise for too long.
Jacques says
Hi, can’t wait to try this recipe out. My wife is pregnant, will the rum soaked fruits still be infused with alcohol after cooking, or will it have evaporated?
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jacques, no, it’s not likely that the alcohol will be completely evaporated in that amount of baking time.
Kelly says
For the “ripening” process, by a cool place do you mean the fridge or counter? How do you prevent the bread for spoiling? Going to try this recipe this weekend it looks amazing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kelly, not the fridge (it will get hard). The sugars and alcohol and being kept wrapped tightly prolong its shelf life. The warmer the environment it’s in the faster it will spoil. If you’re in a warm climate and you don’t plan on eating it within a few days, then you can go ahead and keep it in the fridge and then microwave the slices for a few seconds to soften them up.
Christina says
Hi Kimberley, I’m all ready to make the recipe. I can’t wait. I’ve made my homemade citrus peel, but I am wondering is the ounces by weight or volume? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Christina, it’s 6 ounces by weight. And it doesn’t need to be exact. Happy baking and please let us know what you think!
Jackie says
I am excited to try this recipe. However, I don’t have a standing mixer. Can it still work?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jackie, yes you can definitely knead it by hand. Treat it like you would bread dough and knead it thoroughly.
Mike says
Hi there-
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I made these a little over a week ago. I checked on them and the powdered sugar absorbed a lot of the butter. I added more powdered sugar and wrapped again. The butter soaked through again. Is this normal? How do the ones you buy in the store manage to not have this happen? Does this impact the shelf life? Can’t wait to try it next week!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mike, yes that’s normal if the butter didn’t fully absorb into the Stollen. Did you poke the Stollen all around with a toothpick before drizzling on the butter? In any case it’s not a big deal and no, it doesn’t impact shelf life. In addition to adding more sweetness the powdered sugar is for aesthetics. If you like you can give it another dusting of powdered sugar just before slicing.
Suzanne says
Hey!
Thank you, this is a super recipe,I have so enjoyed baking it. Sadly not once has a batch made it to the recommended 2 weeks maturity, they barely last 48 hours.
Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Suzanne, that’s fantastic, thank you! It’s a rare thing for these Stollen to make it past a few days in our home also ;)
Kelli says
Curious if the 6 oz of candied fruit is the total amount if I made my own. Or is it 3oz lemon and 3oz orange in addition to an unspecified homemade amount?
Thank you! Looking forward to making this. Taking on a tradition from my partner’s German grandmother this Christmas.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kelli, you need 6 ounces total whether store-bought or homemade. Happy baking!
Barbara says
I’m surprised by this recipe! I enjoy cooking according to original recipes, and especially knowing the origin story. thank you very much. I will use your recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Barbara, and I hope you enjoy them!
Linn says
Is there a replacement for the rum please, something alcohol free..
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Linn, you can use orange or apple juice to soak the fruits instead. Note that by omitting the rum/alcohol the Stollen won’t keep as long.
Susan says
I’m on my 3rd batch of this delicious bread! You can also split this into 6 small loaves. The recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Susan, thanks so much!
Lahana says
This is my go-to Stollen recipe. I was born in Germany, so I’m quite fussy about traditional taste. This always turns out very well, and my family and friends look forward to it every year. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m thrilled to hear that, Lahana, thanks so much!