Christmas Stollens are something very German and a very common sweet treat for Christmas. Even though you will find it on many plates with Christmas cookies all over Germany – most of the Stollens are probably not homemade. It’s quite common to buy them in a store instead of baking them at home. They require a bit more work to be prepared compared to regular Christmas cookies but I think it’s worth the effort. I haven’t bought Stollen in many years ;) I don’t want to brag, but my Marzipan Christmas Stollen is one of the best Stollens out there. Beats every Stollen in the supermarket ;P
Stollen have been around for many centuries. They have been mentioned for the first time in an official document in 1329 – at least that’s what Wikipedia says ;) This sugar-loaded treat has a long tradition in Germany, especially, in and around the city of Dresden. It’s not untypical for Christmas Stollen to be called “Dresdner Stollen” – they have become the epicenter of everything Stollen over the centuries. If you ever visit the city you will understand ;P
People from Dresden are very proud of their Stollen and traditions, obviously, and have strict rules on what you can use for this type of baked good. Only a few basic ingredients that have been used for hundreds of years. No preservatives, no added flavors, no nothing. I’m not sure what they would say about my stollen here made with spelt flour. Or the vanilla extract – that does not exist for that long I assume so probably a no-no ;P Well… I am not claiming to have baked an original Stollen from Dresden, so everything should be fine I guess ;)
Well. In general, you could say this is more or less a classic Marzipan Stollen here. Only that it has been baked with spelt flour (and has vanilla extract added – sorry, not sorry). I prefer baking with spelt flour and it works great here. In case you wonder if the spelt flour can be replaced with regular (strong) flour? Absolutely.
Preparing Stollen is actually not complicated. It’s basically a type of babka, a heavy yeasted dough, that normally has a lot of candied fruits and nuts added. And in this case here also some marzipan. So if you make it at home you should treat it like a babka… not like bread. You don’t want a super crunchy crust. It can have some color but it should not get too dark. That will result in a dry Stollen. Not even an extra large amount of marzipan can save that ;P You might want to cover the stollen with some foil or baking parchment in case it gets too dark during baking.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the rum raisins:
3.5 oz. (100g) raisins
2 tbsp. rum
For the stollen:
1/2 cup (120ml) lukewarm milk
0.7 oz. (20g) fresh bakers yeast
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (250g) spelt flour
2 cups (250g) strong spelt flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) candied orange peel
3.5 oz. (100g) sliced almonds
2 x 7 oz. (200g) marzipan paste
For the coating:
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, melted
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
Für die Rumrosinen:
100g Rosinen
2 EL Rum
Für den Stollen:
120ml lauwarme Milch
20g frische Hefe
100g Zucker
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
250g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
250g Dinkelmehl (Type 1050)
1/4 TL Zimt
1/4 TL Kardamom
1/2 TL Salz
2 Eier (L)
100g weiche Butter
100g Orangeat
100g gehobelte Mandeln
2x200g Marzipanrohmasse
Für die Ummantelung
100g Butter, geschmolzen
100g Puderzucker
Note: If you ever heard about Stollen you might be aware of the following… Christmas Stollen need time. A lot of time. You can’t bake it and expect it to be served the same day or even the next day. It has to rest and “ripen” for at least 1-2 weeks. Minimum. Some let it sit even for a longer period of time. After it has cooled down you dust it generously with confectioners’ sugar – that will make sure it does not spoil – then you wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, place that Stollen baby in an airtight container (or plastic bag) and leave it alone. Preferred in a cool place so nothing happens ;P
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. The evening before, add the raisins and rum to a small container, mix well and cover. Let sit at room temperature overnight.
2. The next day, mix the lukewarm milk with the fresh yeast in the bowl of a food processor until the yeast has dissolved completely. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix well. Add both flour types, ground cinnamon, cardamom, salt, eggs, and butter, and knead everything with the dough hook of the food processor for about 7-8 minutes until you get a nice and smooth dough. Mix the rum raisins with candied orange peel and sliced almonds and add to the bowl – knead/fold in. This works best by hand, as the food processor usually just pushes everything back and forth instead of kneading it properly ;) Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl, cover it, and let rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes – the dough should look almost twice as big at the end.
3. In the meantime, roll out the marzipan – each piece into a rectangle of about 9×7 inches. Works best on a smooth, cool surface with some confectioners’ sugar. Set aside until needed.
4. Roll out the stollen dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle with a size of about 15.7×9.8 inches. Place the two marzipan rectangles on the dough so that they touch in the middle, then roll up from both (shorter) sides towards the center. One of the rolls created should be slightly larger than the other – this will give the typical Stollen shape. Press them together and place the stollen on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake the stollen for about 45-50 minutes. If it gets a little dark towards the end of the baking time, cover it with a piece of baking parchment and continue baking. If you want to be on the safe side, test the stollen with a wooden skewer at the end of the baking time.
6. While the stollen is still in the oven, melt the butter for the “finishing touch”. Remove the baked stollen from the oven and immediately brush it with the melted butter. Dust with a thin layer of confectioners’ sugar, then brush with more butter and again confectioners’ sugar – this time a bit more. Let cool down completely.
7. Place the cooled stollen on a large piece of aluminum foil, dust with more confectioners’ sugar – this time much more – and wrap it tightly. Place in a plastic bag or airtight container and let rest for at least 1-2 weeks. Dust with even more confectioners’ sugar before cutting. “The more the merrier” or “more is more” is the goal here ;P
1. Am Vorabend die Rosinen und Rum in ein kleines Gefäß geben, gut vermischen, abdecken und dann über Nacht bei Zimmertemperatur einweichen lassen.
2. Am nächsten Tag die lauwarme Milch für den Teig mit der Hefe in der Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine verrühren, bis sich die Hefe aufgelöst hat. Zucker und Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und gut vermengen. Beide Mehlsorten, Zimt, Kardamom, Salz, Eier und die weiche Butter dazugeben und alles mit den Knethaken der Maschine in etwa 7-8 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Die Rumrosinen mit Orangeat und gehobelten Mandeln vermischen und dann in den Teig einarbeiten – das geht am besten mit der Hand, da die Küchenmaschine hier meist alles nur hin und her schiebt, statt es einzukneten ;) Den Teig zu einer Kugel formen und abgedeckt in der Schüssel an einem warmen Ort für etwa 60 Minuten gehen lassen. Das Teigvolumen sollte sich in etwa verdoppelt haben.
3. In der Zwischenzeit das Marzipan ausrollen. Die Marzipanportionen jeweils zu Rechtecken mit einer Größe von etwa 23x18cm ausrollen. Funktioniert auf einer glatten, kühlen Fläche mit etwas Puderzucker am besten. Bis zur weiteren Verwendung zur Seite legen.
4. Den Stollenteig auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche zu einem Rechteck von etwa 40x25cm ausrollen. Die beiden Marzipanplatten so auf den Teig legen, dass sie sich in der Mitte berühren, dann von beiden (kürzeren) Seiten her zur Mitte aufrollen. Eine Rolle sollte dabei etwas größer werden als die andere, also etwas weiter einrollen – das ergibt die typische Stollenform. Gut zusammendrücken und auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Blech setzen. Mit einem Küchentuch abdecken und noch einmal etwa 30 Minuten gehen lassen.
5. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Den Stollen für etwa 45-50 Minuten backen. Sollte er gegen Ende der Backzeit etwas dunkel werden, mit einem Stück Backpapier abdecken und weiter backen. Wer auf Nummer Sicher gehen möchte, macht zum Ende der Backzeit eine Stäbchenprobe.
6. Während der Stollen noch im Ofen ist, die Butter für die “Nachbehandlung” schmelzen. Den fertigen Stollen aus dem Ofen nehmen und sofort mit der geschmolzenen Butter bestreichen. Dann mit etwas Puderzucker bestreuen, noch einmal mit der restlichen Butter bestreichen und dann etwas dicker mit Puderzucker bestreuen. Komplett abkühlen lassen.
7. Den abgekühlten Stollen auf ein großes Stück Alufolie setzen, noch einmal ordentlich mit Puderzucker bestreuen und dann fest in die Folie einwickeln. Das gute Stück dann noch in eine Plastiktüte wickeln oder in gut schließende Dose legen und für mindestens 1-2 Wochen ziehen lassen. Vor dem Anschneiden dann noch einmal mit Puderzucker bestreuen – viel hilft viel in dem Fall ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Christmas Stollen with Marzipan
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:50
- Total Time: 2 weeks
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Christmas is not Christmas without Marzipan Christmas Stollen. Something you should start doing already several weeks before Christmas so it is ready in time ;)
Ingredients
For the rum raisins:
3.5 oz. (100g) raisins
2 tbsp. rum
For the stollen:
1/2 cup (120ml) lukewarm milk
0.7 oz. (20g) fresh bakers yeast
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (250g) spelt flour
2 cups (250g) strong spelt flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) candied orange peel
3.5 oz. (100g) sliced almonds
2 x 7 oz. (200g) marzipan paste
For the coating:
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, melted
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
1. The evening before, add the raisins and rum to a small container, mix well and cover. Let sit at room temperature overnight.
2. The next day, mix the lukewarm milk with the fresh yeast in the bowl of a food processor until the yeast has dissolved completely. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix well. Add both flour types, ground cinnamon, cardamom, salt, eggs, and butter, and knead everything with the dough hook of the food processor for about 7-8 minutes until you get a nice and smooth dough. Mix the rum raisins with candied orange peel and sliced almonds and add to the bowl – knead/fold in. This works best by hand, as the food processor usually just pushes everything back and forth instead of kneading it properly ;) Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl, cover it, and let rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes – the dough should look almost twice as big at the end.
3. In the meantime, roll out the marzipan – each piece into a rectangle of about 9×7 inches. Works best on a smooth, cool surface with some confectioners’ sugar. Set aside until needed.
4. Roll out the stollen dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle with a size of about 15.7×9.8 inches. Place the two marzipan rectangles on the dough so that they touch in the middle, then roll up from both (shorter) sides towards the center. One of the rolls created should be slightly larger than the other – this will give the typical Stollen shape. Press them together and place the stollen on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake the stollen for about 45-50 minutes. If it gets a little dark towards the end of the baking time, cover it with a piece of baking parchment and continue baking. If you want to be on the safe side, test the stollen with a wooden skewer at the end of the baking time.
6. While the stollen is still in the oven, melt the butter for the “finishing touch”. Remove the baked stollen from the oven and immediately brush it with the melted butter. Dust with a thin layer of confectioners’ sugar, then brush with more butter and again confectioners’ sugar – this time a bit more. Let cool down completely.
7. Place the cooled stollen on a large piece of aluminum foil, dust with more confectioners’ sugar – this time much more – and wrap it tightly. Place in a plastic bag or airtight container and let rest for at least 1-2 weeks. Dust with even more confectioners’ sugar before cutting. “The more the merrier” or “more is more” is the goal here ;P
Notes
Enjoy baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
Wow! Curious why it needs to sit for so long?
It’s a texture thing… the Stollen is great when fresh but with time the texture changes and that’s what the Christmas Stollen are known for.
Cheers
Marc
Hi Marc,
I made this stollen a few weeks ago – the taste and everything was AMAZING! But it was a bit hard – even when I was kneading it.? I tried again today and the Dough is hard ? I am from Canada, Love your recipes! What can I do to make it soft ~ I follow the Exact recipe. Is it possible that it’s supposed to be hard?
Here I have normally bought the Belgian bakery one!
Thanks JM
Hi.
The dough is not super soft, but it also should not be rock hard ;)
Did you weight the ingredients or did you use cups? If you make it again and think it is too tough, just add a bit more milk and work it in.
Cheers
Marc