Traditional Christmas Stollen
Equipment
- baking tray
- Clean tea towel
- Cooling rack
- Mixing bowl
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 10 g butter melted
- 100 g mixed dried fruit with peel
- 180 ml apple juice
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- 250 g plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 30 g blanched whole almonds
- 7 g dried yeast
- 75 g cold marzipan cut into small pieces
- Generous pinch ground aniseed or allspice
- Generous pinch ground cinnamon
- Small pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the dried fruit in a bowl.
- Cover with hot water and soak.
- Warm the apple juice gently.
- Stir in the yeast.
- Leave for 10 to 15 minutes until frothy.
- Place the flour into a mixing bowl.
- Pour in the yeast mixture.
- Mix into a smooth dough.
- Cover and let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours.
- Drain the soaked fruit.
- Add the fruit, almonds, spices, and marzipan to the dough.
- Knead until evenly combined.
- Shape into a long loaf.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Cover and let rise for another 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C (130°C fan).
- Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Brush the warm loaf with melted butter.
- Dust generously with icing sugar.
- Cool completely before slicing.
- Store wrapped in an airtight container.
Notes & Wine Advice
Recipe Notes
Allow the stollen to cool completely before slicing so the crumb sets properly. Wrap the loaf tightly and store it for several days to develop a richer flavor. Dust with fresh icing sugar just before serving for the best presentation. Serve with butter, coffee, or tea for a traditional Christmas treat.Wine Advice
A lightly sweet Riesling complements the fruit and marzipan beautifully. For a festive alternative, enjoy it with a glass of Mulled Wine.Nutrition values
————————————————————————————————–
About This Recipe
Traditional Christmas Stollen is one of Germany’s most treasured holiday breads, celebrated for its rich flavor, tender crumb, and generous filling of dried fruit, almonds, fragrant spices, and sweet marzipan. Finished with melted butter and a snowy coating of icing sugar, this festive loaf has become a Christmas tradition around the world. Every slice offers a delicious balance of fruit, warm spices, and soft marzipan, making it perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a festive dessert.
Why You’ll Love This German Holiday Bread
This marzipan fruit loaf combines simple ingredients with traditional baking techniques to create a bakery-quality Christmas treat. Allowing the dough to rise slowly develops both flavor and texture, while the marzipan melts into the bread during baking to create delicious pockets of sweetness. If you enjoy festive baking, explore our Christmas Recipes, Bread Recipes, Cake Recipes, German Recipes, and Rustic Baking Recipes.
Baking Traditional Christmas Stollen
The dried fruit is soaked before being folded into a soft yeast dough together with toasted almonds, warming spices, and pieces of marzipan. After two rises, the loaf bakes until beautifully golden before receiving its signature coating of melted butter and icing sugar. These simple steps create the distinctive flavor and texture that have made this festive bread a Christmas favorite for generations.
Serving Suggestions
Marzipan fruit loaf is delicious served with butter, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. It also pairs wonderfully with festive desserts and makes an excellent homemade gift during the holiday season. Lightly warming each slice before serving brings out the aroma of the spices and softens the marzipan even further.
Storage Tips
Wrap the cooled loaf tightly and store it in an airtight container for up to one week. The flavors continue to develop over several days, making the bread even more enjoyable after resting. For additional food storage recommendations, visit the FDA Food Safety website.
Traditional Christmas Stollen is a timeless holiday bake that fills your kitchen with festive aromas and delivers authentic German Christmas flavor in every slice.