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Christmas Stollen Recipe
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Christmas Stollen Recipe

A traditional-style Christmas Stollen made with a soft, buttery dough, dried fruit, almonds, warm spices, and plenty of powdered sugar.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Rise Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours
Course: Dessert / Breakfast
Cuisine: German
Servings: 12
Calories: 320kcal

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 3 ¼ cups 390 g all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup 50 g granulated sugar
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons 7 g active dry yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup 180 ml warm whole milk
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons 85 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Fruit & Nuts

  • ¾ cup 110 g raisins
  • ½ cup 75 g golden raisins
  • ½ cup 60 g dried cranberries
  • ½ cup 80 g candied orange peel, finely chopped
  • ½ cup 55 g sliced or chopped almonds

For Finishing

  • 3 tablespoons 42 g unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup 90 g powdered sugar, plus more as needed

Instructions

  • Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Add warm milk, egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Mix until a soft dough forms.
  • Knead: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Avoid adding too much flour.
  • Add the fruit: Gently knead in the raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, candied orange peel, and almonds until evenly distributed.
  • First rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1–1½ hours, or until noticeably puffy.
  • Shape: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into an oval about 10–12 inches long. Make a shallow indentation slightly off-center and fold one side over to create the traditional stollen shape.
  • Second rise: Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and let rise for 30–45 minutes.
  • Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 30–40 minutes, until golden brown and baked through. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
  • Butter the loaf: Remove from the oven and immediately brush the entire loaf generously with melted butter.
  • Add powdered sugar: While still warm, generously sift powdered sugar over the stollen. For a thicker snowy coating, add a second layer after a few minutes.
  • Cool and serve: Let cool completely before slicing. For the best flavor, allow the stollen to rest for several hours or overnight before serving.

Notes

  • Keep the dough soft rather than adding excessive flour.
  • Make sure the milk is warm, not hot, so it doesn't interfere with the yeast.
  • The rising time can vary with your kitchen's temperature.
  • For the best flavor, make the stollen a day ahead and let it rest before serving.
  • Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for several days.
  • Freeze the fully cooled and wrapped stollen for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 320 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 48 g
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Fat: 12 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Sugar: 20 g
  • Sodium: 180 mg