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Christmas Stollen — Photo:
Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser

Active Time:

50 mins

Stand Time:

8 hrs

Total Time:

21 hrs 40 mins

Servings:

Yield:

12 slices

Stollen is my fruitcake. But it wasn’t always that way. I come from a very German family, and my great-grandparents sometimes spoke German at home. When I was very young, they served Stollen around Christmas. I have a vivid memory of it because of the color of the candied fruit inside; Day-Glo green and red candied cherries dotted what was essentially a loaf of Wonder Bread. The color always enticed me, but the flavor always disappointed me.

When I moved to Chicago in 2007, old-school bakeries still thrived in the city. Dinkel’s Bakery made a classic German-style Stollen, and after tasting it, I realized what all the fuss was all about. It was dense with dried fruit and nuts, enrobed with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, and had a classic flat shape. Their Stollen was part of our holiday every year after that. When Dinkel's closed in 2022, I developed my own recipe, which now graces our table each year.

I based this recipe on a traditional Dresdner Stollen — the pinnacle of the yeasted fruitcake-like bread. There are many recipes for Stollen written in English, and I’ve tried a bunch, but none have the right flavor or texture. Most recipes simply stuff a basic enriched dough with dried fruit, and the resulting loaf does not have the same flavor or texture as traditional Stollen. Dense bread isn’t fashionable, but Stollen should be hearty, rich, filled with fruit, and somewhere between a cake and a bread. After researching recipes in German from both home bakers and professionals, I settled on this recipe. The only change: I add some dried tart cherries to the classic fruit mix. — Martin Sorge

Frequently asked questions

What is Stollen?

Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread filled with dried fruit, including raisins and orange peel, that has been soaked in brandy or rum. The bread itself is somewhat dense but not dry. It is best after it rests for at least 24 hours, and up to two weeks.

How do you cut and store your Stollen?

Cut, don’t saw, your Stollen. When cutting most bread, you saw at it with a serrated knife. Traditionally Stollen is cut by a steady cut downward instead of a sawing motion. Cut the stollen down the middle, then take a slice out of the middle. Push the exposed ends together and re-wrap to store. This prevents the cut edges from drying out.

How can I customize this recipe?

If you like, you can change the spices in this recipe, with the exception of cinnamon. Do not use cinnamon, because it will severely slow the development of the yeast. Swap the dried fruit and candied peel for fruits that you like best, but avoid any fruit that is too soft (like prunes) that might mush up when mixing. Orange juice or black tea make great alternatives for soaking the fruit if you avoid alcohol. Change the nuts to your preference; use pepitas or sunflower seeds if you want to avoid nuts.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

We found there was no need to chop the dried cherries or golden raisins used in this recipe; they bake and cut fine once baked. Some pieces might come out when shaping the dough, but just tuck them back in the dough once it is shaped into a log.

Make ahead

Most recipes say that Stollen is best after one or two weeks, but you can eat this one after just 24 hours, and up to two weeks. If the powdered sugar on top gets a bit damp, add more before serving.

Ingredients

Macerated fruit

1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried sweetened tart cherries
1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel strips
1/3 cup chopped candied citron or lemon peel strips
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) dark rum or brandy

Hefe Vorteig (Yeast Dough)

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, lukewarm (95°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast (from 1 [3/4-ounce] envelope)
1 1/4 cups (about 5 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Oil

Butterteig (Butter Dough)

1 1/4 cups (about 5 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup chopped almonds or slivered almonds

Additional Ingredients

1/4 cup clarified butter, warmed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) powdered sugar

Directions

Prepare the Macerated Fruit

Stir together raisins, cherries, citrus peel strips, and rum in an airtight container; cover and let stand at least 8 hours or up to 3 days. Stir mixture occasionally, ensuring rum absorbs evenly into fruit.
Prepare the Yeast Dough

Whisk together, milk, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment until well combined. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; beat on low speed until dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased (with oil) large bowl, and cover. Let stand in a warm place (75°F to 80°F) until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Prepare the Butter Dough

Whisk together flour, sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Beat butter, zests, vanilla extract, and almond extract with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until fully combined, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl; beat until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Add risen Yeast Dough to Butter Dough in 1 tablespoon-size chunks. Beat on low speed until dough is cohesive and pieces of Yeast Dough are not seen, 1 to 2 minutes. Switch to dough hook attachment, and beat on low speed until smooth and dough ball comes together, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be similar to a thick cookie dough consistency.)
Add almonds and soaked fruit to dough. Beat with dough hook attachment on low speed until fruit and nuts are almost evenly distributed throughout dough, about 30 seconds. With dough still in mixer bowl, massage dough using your hands until all fruit is fully incorporated. (It’s going to seem like too much fruit, but it’s not. Be careful not to overmix or mix too vigorously because soft fruit can sometimes mush up if you mix it too roughly or for too long, turning dough an unsightly brown.) Let dough rest in a warm place for 1 hour, 30 minutes. (It should puff up slightly.)
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a 12-inch square; fold left side of dough towards center, and fold right side towards center, meeting left side. Starting at end closest to you, roll dough into a log. Using your hands, roll log to a length of 15 inches. Place dough log, seam side down, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly using plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour. (It will not rise much, but it should rise somewhat and be slightly puffy.)
While dough rests, preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle position. When oven is preheated and dough is rested, score dough lengthwise 1/2-inch deep down center. Place dough in oven, and immediately reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake at 375°F until Stollen is nicely browned and the interior registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes. Taking the internal temperature is the best way to ensure the Stollen is done and prevent overbaking the Stollen, which means it will be dry when sliced. Let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes; transfer Stollen to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Pick off any burnt pieces of fruit on outside of Stollen (these will be very bitter).
Brush Stollen generously with warmed clarified butter; sprinkle all over with granulated sugar. Shake off excess sugar. Let Stollen stand until butter cools completely, at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours.
Using a sifter or strainer, generously dust entire Stollen with powdered sugar. Wrap Stollen in parchment paper, and then wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.