The history of the Christmas stollen dates back to 700 years.

This is a sweet bread made with yeast, with lots of candied fruits, nuts and spices, which is presented at the festive table in Germany, in almost every family. Stollen is baked 2-3 weeks before Christmas, then packaged and stored for aging to get a better texture and flavor.

Preparation of a traditional stollen is not difficult at all.  Stock up on ingredients and follow our recipe.

You will need:

1 cup of milk

3 tsp active dry yeast

½ cup of sugar

4 cups of flour

1 egg

2 egg yolks

170 g butter of room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 lemon zest

1/3 tsp salt

¾ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ tsp   cardamom 

½  tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup raisins

1 cup candied citrus   

1/3 cup of chopped almonds

1/2 cup black rum

Flour for using during preparation

After baking:

100 g butter

150 g powdered sugar

Put the raisins and candied fruits in the bowl, pour in the rum and let stand for a few hours or overnight.

Heat the milk, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and yeast, stir and let it for fermentation for 10-15 minutes.

Add the remaining sugar, flour, salt, all spices, zest, soft butter, and eggs. Start pouring of milk, stir with a wooden spoon. When the mass is solidified, roll it out on a floured surface and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes (5-7 minutes in the case of a mixer).

Apply  oil to the bowl, place a dough ball and cover tightly with a plastic wrap. Put in a warm place for at least 1 hour, or until the volume of the dough has doubled.

Dry the almonds in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

Drain the raisins, add to the dough and knead until completely mixed, adding flour if necessary. Add almonds as well.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Roll lightly and fold, giving it an oval shape. Place on a baking sheet, cover tightly with a plastic wrap and leave for the dough to rise for 40-50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Pierce the baked, hot stolen with a wooden stick for the butter to penetrate well into the cake, apply the melted butter and instantly sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let it  cool.

You can seat stollen immediately after baking or store in a cool place for 2-3 weeks. Wrap tightly in plastic or foil. The stored  stollen has a more intense taste, the texture is also more moist.

It can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.