Christmas Stollen: The Recipe In Pictures

Stollen, or Christstollen, is a traditional German specialty. This cake made with candied fruit and marzipan is prepared during the Advent season and keeps until Christmas. Its preparation takes some time, but it is less difficult than one might fear. We invite you to discover the Christmas stollen recipe in pictures, step by step.

Ingredients

Here are the necessary ingredients to prepare 3 to 5 stollens for Christmas:

For the dough:
500 g of flour.
75 g of sugar.
A pinch of salt.
A vanilla pod.
One teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
Half a teaspoon of Cardamom powder.
Half a teaspoon of ground clove.
A packet of baker's yeast.
12.5 cl of lukewarm milk.
250 g of soft butter.

For the filling:
150 g of raisins.
100 g of candied pineapple.
75 g of almonds.
150 g of marzipan (or almond paste).
5 cl of lukewarm water or liqueur.

For the decoration:
50 g of butter.
50 g of icing sugar.

Note: To avoid buying a whole jar of ground clove, you can prepare this ground spice yourself. Grind a handful of cloves in a small mixer, then sift this powder to remove the larger pieces. You can replace cardamom with ginger powder and grated lemon zest.

Preparation of the dough

The dough for Christmas stollen is a yeast dough that needs to rest several times. It is even advisable to prepare it over two days to let it rise overnight.

This recipe takes time but is not unachievable, as long as you meticulously follow the instructions below.

1- Sift the flour into a large bowl.

2- Add the sugar, salt, powdered spices, and the seeds from the vanilla pod (which you will have split and scraped).

3- Warm the milk slightly and dissolve the baker's yeast in the warm milk, mixing well.

4- Make a well in your bowl and pour this liquid into the center. Cover with a cloth and let the yeast activate in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

5- Then add the soft butter cut into small pieces and start kneading. Count 5 minutes of kneading. Your dough is ready when it detaches from your fingers and the sides of the container.

6- Form a ball, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise for one hour.

Assembly and Rest

1- While the stollen dough is resting, prepare the filling. Cut the candied pineapples (sold in slices as shown in the picture below) into small dice.

2- Also cut the almonds into sticks.

3- Plump up the raisins in 5 cl of warm water or liquor of your choice, before adding the pineapple and almonds.

4- Once your dough has rested, roll it out on a floured work surface. Spread the fruit on top, then roll the dough and knead it again to incorporate the fruits well.

5- Divide the resulting dough into 3 to 5 portions (depending on how many Christstollens you wish to make).

6- Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle about 20 to 25 cm long.

7- Divide the almond paste into 3 to 5 pieces. Knead the almond paste in your hands to soften it, then form small logs the length of each stollen. Place them in the center of the dough before rolling it up to form each cake.

8- As you go, place the Christollens on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them rise for the rest of the day or, ideally, overnight in a warm place.

Baking of stollens

1- Preheat your oven to 210°C (410°F).

2- When putting the dough in, lower the oven temperature to 180°C (356°F).

3- Bake the Christstollens for 30 to 40 minutes depending on their size.

4- Melt the butter and brush the cakes with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

5- Let them cool completely before dusting them with powdered sugar.

Note: the hardest part is yet to come because it is advisable to wait at least 15 days before tasting the Christstollens ;-)
These Christmas stollens can be kept for 4 weeks wrapped in paper and then covered with a clean cloth. They can thus be prepared during Advent and eaten at Christmas. Happy holidays to all!