Weihnachtsstollen

Name: Weihnachtsstollen
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 350g Raisins; 80ml Dark Rum; 75g Candied Orange Peel, Orangeat, finely chopped; 75g Candied Lemon Peel, Zitronat, finely chopped; 100g Blanched Almonds, chopped; 500g All-purpose Flour, Type 405; 25g Fresh Yeast; 200ml Whole Milk, lukewarm; 200g Unsalted Butter, softened; 100g Granulated Sugar; 1 Egg; 1 Lemon, zest only; 1 packet of Vanilla Sugar, 8 g; 1/2 tsp Salt, fine; 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom; 1/4 tsp Ground Mace, or nutmeg; 80g Unsalted Butter, melted, for brushing; 150g Powdered Sugar, for thick coating

Weihnachtsstollen is a classic German Christmas bread: a rich, buttery yeast dough studded with rum‑plumped raisins, candied citrus peel and toasted almonds, gently spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and mace. Baked until golden, the loaf is brushed with butter and dusted with powdered sugar for a snowy, festive finish — even better after a day of resting so the flavors mingle.

Weihnachtsstollen is a classic German Christmas bread: a rich, buttery yeast dough studded with rum‑plumped raisins, candied citru... Show more

Traditional German Recipe

Health Grade

E · Indulgent

Rating

4.3

Time

4 hrs

Price

1,16 €

Calories

611 kcal

vegetarian

low sodium

comfort food

holiday/special occasion

Method

Chop the fruit

Finely chop the Candied Orange Peel and Candied Lemon Peel, then chop the Blanched Almonds into small, even pieces. Keep everything roughly the size of coarse crumbs so it disappears neatly into the dough instead of making big pockets.

Soak the fruit

Mix the Raisins with the Dark Rum in a bowl, then stir in the chopped candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, and almonds. Let the fruit soak for 30 minutes so the raisins plump up and the citrus softens.

Make the dough

Crumble the Fresh Yeast into the lukewarm Whole Milk and stir until it dissolves. In a large bowl, mix the All-purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Vanilla Sugar, Salt, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cardamom, and Ground Mace. Pour in the yeast milk, add the Egg, Lemon zest, and softened Unsalted Butter, then bring everything together into a soft dough. Knead for 8 minutes until it feels smooth, supple, and only slightly sticky.

Proof the dough

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes, until it looks noticeably puffier. A rich stollen dough may not double in size, and that is perfectly normal.

Fold and shape

Drain off any extra rum, then knead the soaked raisins, rum, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, and almonds into the dough just until they are evenly distributed. Shape the dough into a thick oval loaf with the classic slight fold along one side, set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let it rest for 20 minutes. During that rest, preheat the oven to 175° C.

Bake the stollen

Bake at 175° C for 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the loaf feels set in the center. If it starts to darken too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last part of baking.

Finish with sugar

Brush the hot stollen all over with the melted butter, then cover it generously with the Powdered Sugar for a thick, snowy crust. Let it cool on the rack for 30 minutes before slicing.