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
Ava P. says
I love this recipe thank you! I was wondering how would cake flour change this recipe outcome instead of all purpose. The inside of mine came out a tiny bit chewy, and I’m trying to get it more flaky as well.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ava, Stollen is not a cake it’s a yeast bread so it’s supposed to be chewy. Yeast breads require flour that has a high protein content because that’s what enables it to maintain structure and rise. Cake flour has very low protein content which means that the bread will be softer and it won’t rise as much, it will be flatter and lack structure.
Rin says
I’ve made this today for the third time. My dad requested one for Father’s Day… I know its a bit out of season but this has become one of his favourite things that I’ve made. It turns out great every time except for one thing… Every time, without fail, the top has burst open a little to expose the marzipan. They taste great anyway but its bugging me what I could be doing wrong, I shape them carefully and try to make sure the edges are sealed but it still happens, and I’m not sure why?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Rin! The cracking issue is a very common one with breads and there can be a number of reasons why it’s doing that: If the dough is too dry (for example, if someone adds extra flour because they think the batter is too sticky) or if it was proofed without being covered and thus became dry, if the dough is over-proofed (let to rise too long), if the dough isn’t kneaded enough…..That’s one reason why bread bakers slash the tops of their breads to release pressure and prevent breads from bursting open. Something you can try in addition to remedying what I already mentioned is to lightly spray the top of the loaves with water before you put them in the oven to increase the humidity while it bakes.
Rin says
Thank you for the tips! It could be that its not kneaded enough now that you mention, I don’t have a food mixer so I have to do it by hand. I may have slacked off a bit on it because it was hot haha. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time) I’ll make sure to knead it for longer.
Amy Curee says
I made this for Christmas for my family. I omitted the marzipan, since my favorite Stollen from when we lived in Germany did not have it. I did make the homemade candied citrus and wow! I think the chemical-laden stuff is the real reason most people don’t like fruitcake! Anyway, we ate one loaf within the first week, and I wrapped the other loaf in rum-soaked cheesecloth, then plastic wrap, and stored it in the fridge for about 10 days. WOW! I currently have a batch of the dough rising and will make three small loaves for the freezer. It will be hard not to eat some while it’s warm…but I will resist because it gets SO much better with time.
P.S.-I have family members who are allergic to dairy and I made this with substitutes for the milk and the butter, and it was still awesome.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Amy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I agree, I’m not a bit surprised most people dislike fruitcake – the store-bought candied citrus peel tastes nothing like homemade candied peel.
Pete Whitaker says
I followed this recipe to the letter before Christmas and the results were perfect. I live in Nürnberg, Germany, as an English expat. A local friend tried some on a night out in the Christkindlesmarkt, and remarked that it was better than his local bakers. Boom, nothing more to say really!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Nothing more to say indeed, Pete, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you and your friend both enjoyed it, thank you!
Debra Sommerfeld says
I used all fresh ingredients
the recipe said I would get two loads I only got why
Rick Vaughn says
I’m afraid I don’t have a KitchenAid mixer or bread making equipment, just an electric hand mixer and brute strength. Can I accomplish this bread/roll mixture doing the kneading by hand? I mean this recipe is hundreds of years old. Any recommendations for the 7 min. kneading step.
The Marzipan and candied peels which I used in a cookie recipe turned out great although it took me longer that the 20 min prep time for the candied peels. I did find a slick way to cut off the pith layer, which I initially struggled with. I got out my curved serrated grapefruit knife that matches the curve of the peel sections. I also couldn’t find “Fine Granulated” sugar. A search on the web got me to “Caster” sugar listed as super fine but described as being between table granulated and powdered. It seemed to work for the last dusting step of the peels. Thanks again for any advice and your great research into these recipes. The history is really interesting!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rick, absolutely you can knead it by hand! Just treat it like you would a standard bread dough. How long you knead depends on how fast and firm. I’d aim for 7-10 minutes. Thanks for tip for peeling the piths!
Brenda says
I’ve always wanted to bake my own Stollen and this recipe seemed the way to go. I don’t think it was perfect this first time around (my fault, I’m sure!), but I can’t wait to make it again! No reason this only has to come out at Christmas! I have lots of candied peel left and the marzipan is such a cinch to make! Thank you for your fabulous recipe and directions!
tamara says
I made this for Christmas and I’ve received so many compliments! I made 6 loaves and they were all gone within 3 days. Love this recipe! I added other dried fruits as well. Cherries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, etc. And the marzipan recipe included with this one is excellent.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Tamara, I’m so glad it was a huge hit, thank you for the feedback!
Mrs. C says
This was an amazing recipe! I love stollen but always thought it was way beyond my culinary skills. I analyzed your instructions and concluded that I can actually make it. Made marzipan one day, followed by the candied citrus peels on the next. Few days later, made the actual stollen, following the recipe to the dot. Had it wrapped for one week and served on Christmas Day. My husband’s family is mostly of German origin and they were delighted. Few days later, my husband took it to his place of work and received raving compliments, including from one German gentleman who said he has had a stollen like this when he was a boy and his Oma made it. Thanks for the fabulous recipe! If I made this – thanks to you – I can make anything! :) Happy New Year.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Mrs. C, I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that! I agree whole-heartedly, if you can make marzipan and candied citrus peel and your own Stollen you can definitely make anything! :) Thanks so much for the feedback and Happy New Year!
Lindsay says
This is the most amazing bread I’ve ever made. We used your recipe for handmade candied citrus peel and my dad made marzipan from scratch. So glad you recommended making those components because they were well worth the extra time! Soft bread on the inside with a nice crust on the outside, with sharpness coming through from the citrus and marzipan. Amazing, thank you for sharing. What a wonderful holiday treat.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Lindsay, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
AK says
Absolutely delicious and very forgiving recipe. I did the first prove overnight in the fridge and added the fruit/shaped it/baked the next afternoon. I followed your measurements but used chai spice instead of cardamom and changed the fruit/but inclusions based on what I had. It baked up LOVELY, tender and fluffy and fragrant.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, AK, thanks so much for the feedback!
Edie says
Can I let it ripen for a few days instead of 2 weeks? I just found your recipe and will plan ahead next year.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Edie. I actually prefer it fresh out of the oven :)
Steve says
Amazing results for the first effort at Stollen from scratch. Flavors from the marzipan and candied citrus soaked in rum beat anything store bought.
Have purchased Stollen from bakeries in the past and did not understand what was so special about the fruit bred until I baked this recipe.
Really like the concise recipe at the end of the page. Thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Steve, thank you!
Robin says
Absolutely the best Stöllen I have ever made or had. It is labor intensive but the smell of cardamom and mace wafting through the house even as I first stirred the dough brought back many fond memories. Worth every bit of time and effort. Thank you for your recipes. I will mention that I weighed the candied citrus and the raisins rather than measure because I remember from childhood that 9 oz is about 2 cups. And 6 oz is a bit more than 1 1/2 cups. It really made sure that all the rum was soaked up and that my loaves were studded jewels of fruit. And I did deviate from the recipe with 1 little addition.i added a bit of rum to the melted butter used to brush the loaves after they came out of the oven. Great recipe! Great series of recipes, the Candied Citrus, the Marzipan, and the Stöllen. Thank you again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I am absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed the Stollen, Robin, and that you made the homemade candied citrus and marzipan to go with, thanks so much for the feedback about your experience!
Chuck Todd says
I made this for Christmas and it is the most amazing stollen I’ve had years!
I added a few extra spices just because… allspice, nutmeg and ginger.
A wonderful warming addition.
I’ll be making this again and again and again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Chuck, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
jennifer yan says
i made it 3 times in Germany and my extended family loved it ! They were quite impressed how I made it, as I am Chinese American :)
thank you so much !!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Jennifer, thank you so much for the feedback!
Clare R. LAKE says
Great recipe and not that difficul. I used a Marzipan recipe from last year’s Bake from Scratch 2018 Christmas cookie magazine. I also used my bread machine’s dough cycle to knead and do the first rise.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Perfect, Clare, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!