Stollen (fruit & nut Christmas bread)
Nothing says "let the Christmas festivities begin' quite like this traditional German bread.
One of my favorite things to bake during the holidays, this lightly sweet, flavorful Christmas bread originated in Dresden, Germany in the late 1500s. The Germans call it ‘Christollen’. While I’d love to enjoy Stollen in Germany one day, for now I’ll be happy to make my own and share it with you!
Stollen is an incredibly soft and tender-yet still dense-bread. It’s lightly sweet and filled with festive, cozy flavors thanks to nutmeg, cardamon, and a generous amount of fruit and nuts soaked in rum & almond extract.
This mixture smells heavenly and will get you really excited. (if you’re a foodie;)
Making Stollen every year is one of my hard-core Christmas traditions:) It gives me all the season’s feels. I can’t wait for you to give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!
Stollen (fruit & nut bread)
Ingredients
Soak overnight:
- 1 1/2 cups + 6 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1 1/8 cup raisins
- 1 1/8 cup gold raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped citron peel or mixed peel
- 1 1/4 tsp water
- 1 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 4 tsp rum extract
Dough:
- 1/2+ 1/16 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 eggs + one more
- 1 1/8 cup sour cream
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cardamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 Tbsp powdered milk
Instructions
- Mix together dried fruits, walnuts, and almond & rum extract and water. Soak in airtight container overnight.
- Next morning: Mix together 1/2 Tbsp sugar, yeast, and warm water. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof while prepping next step.
- Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy with paddle attachment. Add 3/4 cup water, eggs, sour cream, and yeast mixture. Mix well. Switch to dough hook.
- Whisk together dry ingredients, add to rest of ingredients along with fruit and nut mixture and knead until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and comes together in a pretty smooth, cohesive ball.* The dough should be slightly sticky and soft to the touch.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm environment for approx. 1 hr 45 min until doubled in size.
- Divide dough into 3 loaves, weighing 1 lb 13-14 oz each. Cup your hands around the dough and knead to form a circle, then shape into a rectangular loaf. Place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets, cover lightly, and let rise for about 2 hr 30 min until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together 1 egg with a bit of water and brush on the tops of the loaves.
- Bake Stollen for 12 min, reduce oven to 350 F and bake for approx. 35 min until golden brown on top and on the bottom. Remove from oven and brush with butter.
- Let cool before dusting with powdered sugar. If not eating Stollen right away, it's best to freeze the same day it's made. It's absolutely delicious toasted with salted butter.
Notes
Love this tradition ! Your pictures are phenomenal !
Thank you so much!