What is Stollen?
Stollen is an enriched cake-like fruit bread that usually contains spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. It’s also made with dried or candied fruits, such as citrus peel and raisins, as well as almonds. Some variations of this recipe contain extra ingredients, notably rum, vanilla, and marzipan.
A single Stollen can weigh around 4½ lbs (2 kg), and as soon as it is out of the oven, it is coated in melted unsalted butter, and sometimes rolled in vanilla sugar. This aids the locking of moisture, and acts as a preservative. Afterward, it’s dusted with icing sugar to give it an extra special festive feel.
What is the origin of Stollen?
Originating in the German city of Dresden around the early to mid-1300s, it is said that this delicious festive bread was created after the Bishop of Nauruburg started a contest which was open to everyone throughout Dresden. There is speculation that the Bishop loved it so much that he ordered in large quantities of grain exclusively for stollen.
Bakers used the finest ingredients to ensure their loaf would win above all others. Back then, the loaves weighed in at around 26½ lbs (13 kg), with stollen being so popular that specific “stollen only” utensils could be used to cut them.
Tradition says that the first slice was set aside in order to make sure that the family would be able to afford to make stollen the following year. The final slice was also put aside, to ensure that the family had enough food to see them through the year.
It wasn’t until 1650 that stollen really began to be recognized as the cake that’s loved today. The Catholic Church had historically put a ban on butter during advent, and it was Prince Ernst von Sachsen, at the request of hundreds of bakers across Dresden, who petitioned against the Church to lift the ban.
Before this, stollen, although it was thoroughly enjoyed across the country, resembled more of a crumbly, dry pastry rather than the juicy and moist loaf known today.
The bigger, the better
In 1730, Augustus II (Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Lithuania) ordered the Bakers’ Guild to bake a loaf of stollen large enough to feed every guest at one of his parties. There were around 24,000 guests attending this phenomenal feast.
A phenomenal amount of ingredients was used. 3,600 eggs, 326 churns of milk, and over 20 hundredweight of flour produced a stollen that weighed around two tons. A purpose-built oven had to be made, which was large enough to bake the gargantuan loaf. A five foot (1,5m) long silver knife was also made, just to cut it.
The Stollen Association
In 1991, the Stollen Association was formed in Dresden. It was created to protect the interests of Dresden’s stollen bakers, of which there are currently only 125 active members.
Every year, the Stollen Association appoints an independent council to carry out testing of the stollen produced by the member bakers. This takes place over 18 days. The association has specific criteria set out within its constitution, and it works on a point-scoring system. The points are scored according to the quality of the ingredients used, as well as being dependent upon use of traditional baking methods, which are an essential part of the test.
Only the highest-scoring stollen bakers are granted the golden seal certification, and allowed to call their produce Dresdner Christollen.
How is stollen eaten?
When properly stored, stollen will stay fresh for several months. The longer it’s stored, the more flavor develops.
To store correctly, stollen needs to be tightly wrapped, and kept in a cool, dry place in the kitchen or storehouse. If it is left unwrapped, it will dry out and become stale very quickly.
When to eat the German cake
Stollen is commonly enjoyed throughout the festive season. The name itself is derived from Weihnachtsstollen, which comes from the German word for Christmas, Weihnachten. It is also known as Christstollen, meaning, “after Christ”.
Stollen has been a popular feast food at Christmas markets for over 500 years. In 1434, the Dresdener, Prince Friedrich II, and his brother, Duke Sigismund, started a very large festive market.
Originally, this was a place where people could buy their meat and other produce specifically for the Christmas celebrations. Stollen was introduced not long after the market began to gain popularity, and it has been a favored fare ever since.
The market is called Striezelmarkt, and it is still around today, bigger than ever. As stollen originated in the same area, the market continues to grow in popularity year on year.
This recipe is validated by our culinary expert in German cuisine, Nadia Hassani. Nadia is the author of the Spoonfuls of Germany blog and the Spoonfuls of Germany cookbook. Read more about Nadia in her exclusive interview.
Stollen
Ingredients
- 10 oz. raisins
- 5 oz. candied peel (orange and/or lemon)
- ¼ cup rum
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup sugar
- 7 oz almonds , chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup milk (at 96°F/ 36°C)
- 2 cups butter , at room temperature, cubed
- 8 oz. marzipan
To finish
- ½ cup unsalted butter , melted
- Icing sugar
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 2 Stollen tins (optional)
- Baking tray
Instructions
- Mix the raisins and candied peel with the rum, and leave to steep overnight.
- Using a stand mixer, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, almonds, salt, and almond extract.
- Add the soaked raisins and peel, and mix well.
- Mix in the milk, butter, and knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Cover with a clean tea towel, and set aside to prove until the dough has doubled in size. Depending on how warm the kitchen is, this could take 1 to 2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, remove from the bowl, and knock the air out of it. Knead for another few minutes, return to the bowl, cover again, and leave for another hour.
- Divide the dough into two, and roll each out into an oval about 1 inch (2,5 cm) thick.
- Divide the marzipan into two, and roll each piece into a log around the same length as the dough.
- Place the marzipan along the center of each piece of dough.
If using a stollen tin
- Fold the dough over the marzipan to cover. Pinch the sides and ends together to seal, and then place into the tins.
- Place each tin onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and leave for 30 minutes to rise again. Make sure the open side of the tin is on the baking tray, and the vents are at the top.
If not using a stollen tin
- For each stollen, fold one side of the dough to cover the marzipan, then bring the other side over to overlap. Press down to seal.
- Press the rolling pin into the dough on the opposite side to the seam to make an indentation along where the marzipan is.
- Place both stollen onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cover, and leave for 30 minutes to rise.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove from the oven, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. If using stollen tins, remove the loaves, and cool on the baking tray.
- Brush each loaf with melted butter.
- Once the butter is used up, sift icing sugar over the top of each loaf to make a thick white layer. The icing sugar will melt in at first but keep sifting more over until it settles into an even layer.
- Leave to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and store in a cool pantry for two weeks or more to let the flavors fully develop.
Venetian-Brit Nicole has always lived a nomadic existence, and has had 56 homes around the world. As a chef, she has cooked in pro kitchens in Thailand, India, and Britain, and has consulted on menus for restaurants & hotels from Japan to the USA. Her work has been featured in some of the world’s best-known publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, Grazia, Femina, Stylecaster, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian. At yumsome.com, she shares stories and recipes from her travels.
Heather says
I just made this. Followed to exact. Didn’t work out at all. Very disappointed. Way too much liquid, assuming that that the butter was melted, not noted. Also, from past experience, the yeast should “bloom” first” before adding to dry ingredients. This was a total bust especially for the cost associated with this bum recipe. Sad.
Nicole Rossetti le Strange says
Heather, I have made dozens of these loaves, and this is exactly how I was taught by a German friend. You can see from the photos that the recipe does work, so perhaps you made a mistake in measuring your ingredients? Did you use a set of kitchen scales and the metric measurements? That’s the most accurate way.
Re. your comment about the yeast. No, when using active dry yeast, there is no need to bloom it. That’s not to say you can’t but it’s not actually necessary. I don’t know any German person who blooms it first to make stollen. In fact, I also have a couple of friends from the Netherlands who make it the same way.
Re. the butter – again, no. If the butter needed to be melted, the recipe would say so – as in the finishing part. It needs to be at room temperature, so I’ll add a note to the recipe.
I’m sorry you feel you wasted your money but when followed exactly, the recipe works.
wildbill says
In the initial ingredients you list 2 cups of butter but do not describe if the butter is cold or room temperature or cut up etc. please specify how the butter should be. Thank you
Nicole Rossetti le Strange says
My apologies Bill. The butter should be at room temperature.
ashok says
My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Nicole Rossetti le Strange says
So happy you all enjoyed it, Ashok – thank you for letting us know!
Michael K. says
originally there is no marzipan inside the stollen. Someone added it, maybe 1970 or later to the receipt. The Stollen has the form of a sucker inside its diaper. They used no stollen tin, this is also a modern variant.
Good german receipts are in the old Time Life book “The kitchen in germany’ (very recommended) from 1970. You will find “Dresdner Stollen” in it.
Michael K, says
you can use a paper strip circle to fix the form if the dough is too fluid and disperses.
Hands Doing Things says
Thanks for your tip, Michael!