German Christmas Stollen (Christstollen)

Today's recipe is grandma's easy German Christmas stollen with lots of tips on how to make the Christmas classic a guaranteed success.

Hello there! You always thought the German Christmas stollen was complicated to bake? This recipe for the delicious, easy Christmas classic will convince you otherwise!

Taste and Occasion

Christstollen and me, we weren't good friends for a long time. But with the right recipe, everything works out - and this world's best Christstollen (for us) will indeed taste good to you, too. Best of all, you can modify the basic recipe to your heart's content. And you can start snacking on it soon since it's a Christmas stollen with no waiting time.

Many don't dare to bake the German Christmas classic again because some people don't like raisins or have suffered trauma from dust-dry Stollen. Yet it's so easy to make good Christstollen yourself! I created my own stollen recipe years ago from many others and have been improving it ever since. This classic is not particularly whacky, but you will bake it with happiness. This means that the Christstollen recipe is easy and sure to succeed. Plus, you don't have to fight your way through a five-centimeter-thick layer of powdered sugar and butter. Sure, Christstollen with marzipan is lush and sweet. But you don't have to overdo it, either. And there's no need for humectants, artificial flavors, etc., like in store-bought Christmas stollen.

Ingredients

The base of Omas Christstollen is a lush, heavy yeast dough with comparatively much butter - which makes the Stollen moist. The colorful dried fruits in the dough as well as the marzipan result in a wonderful aroma and the unique Christmas stollen consistency. Heavenly!

How to make the German Christmas Stollen

Don't be afraid to bake Christmas stollen. With this recipe, the Christmas classic is guaranteed to succeed. First of all, mix raisins with candied orange peel, candied lemon peel and almonds and pour the juice over them. Cover and leave to stand overnight, but an hour is enough to prepare the dough. Now, crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk and add a teaspoon of sugar and stir until the yeast is dissolved.

Then, put the flour with the remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a deep well in the center and pour in the yeast milk. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Next step: Cut the marzipan paste into tiny pieces and add to the mixing bowl together with the soft butter, eggs and spices. Mix everything together briefly and then knead (leave to knead) for about 5 minutes. The yeast dough should come away from the edge of the bowl. After that, let the dough rise, covered, in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. Then knead in the dried fruit mixture and let rise again in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Form a very large or two smaller stollen. If you use a Stollen baking pan (approx. 13 in/ 33 cm), put the dough into it before the second rising time.

Continue by placing the Christstollen on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. If necessary, use your hands to decorate the Christmas stollen mold again. Because the Christstollen tends to get wider and flatter without a mold, you can limit it a bit on the baking sheet, for example, by using double-folded aluminum foil or by placing a loaf pan on one side. Cover the Christstollen again and let it rise for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C and bake the Stollen for 10 minutes, then bake at only 340°F/170°C for another 40 minutes on the second rack from the bottom. Cover towards the end if it gets too dark.

The end is in sight: Melt the butter. Remove the finished Christstollen from the oven and remove any burnt raisins. While still hot, brush Stollen several times with the butter. Sprinkle with the regular sugar first. Let cool completely, remove excess sugar slightly with a spoon or similar. Finally, sift the powdered sugar over the top.

Top Tip

Well, want to give this delicious, moist, buttery Stollen a try? It's definitely not too late. To make sure you succeed with Grandma's Christmas stollen recipe and bake the alternative that's just right for you, I've put together some tips, tricks and answers to frequently asked questions.

How does Christstollen become moist?

First and foremost, it hits the spot to use the right recipe with sufficient butter and eggs. Marzipan also makes the dough slightly moist. In addition, you should not bake the Christmas stollen too long, otherwise, it tends to become drier.

Can you bake Christmas stollen without candied orange peel, candied lemon peel and raisins?

Basically, yes, but then use other dried fruits such as cranberries or chopped apricots.

How can Christstollen be shaped?

Roll out the dough into a rectangle with rounded corners. Fold one of the long sides into the center over the other, covering about two-thirds of the dough. Press each of the "seams" down with your fingers. To prevent the Christstollen from becoming too broad, you may want to use double-folded aluminum foil to limit the width.

How to use a Christmas stollen baking pan?

Recipe Recommendation

German Bee Sting Cake

Incredibly delicious classic: this fluffy bee sting made from yeast dough is filled with a custard cream, but it also tastes great without the filling as an especially quick alternative.

Check out this recipe!

Turn the dough in the greased mold onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, but do not remove the mold. Bake again briefly without the cover, only towards the end of the baking time.

How long should Christstollen be stored?

Some say at least 2-4 weeks. However, the Christstollen, according to my recipe, can also be cut well after 2-3 days.

What is the best way to pack and store Christmas stollen?

Once buttered, sugared and completely cooled, wrap several times in plastic wrap and store in a cool dark place.

Can Christstollen be frozen?

Sure. At least in theory 😉 . At best, already cut into slices.

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German Christmas Stollen (Christstollen)

Our favorite variation of the German Christmas classic. There are almonds, raisins and marzipan in the luscious yeast dough. An absolute winter delight!

Prep Time30 mins

Baking Time50 mins

Waiting Time2 hrs 30 mins

Calories: 273kcal

Ingredients

For the Stollen

• 250 grams (1 ¾ cups) raisins
• 50 grams (⅓ cup) candied orange peel
• 50 grams (½ cup) candied lemon peel
• 50 grams (⅓ cup) chopped almonds
• 80 milliliters (5 ½ tablespoons) rum, or apple juice
• 500 grams (4 cups) wheat flour
• 120 milliliters (8 tablespoons) lukewarm milk
• 50 grams (⅓ cup) sugar
• 1 cube fresh yeast
• 220 grams (1 cups) butter, soft
• 1 egg, medium
• 1 egg yolk, medium
• 100 grams (7 tablespoons) marzipan paste
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 pinches salt
• ¼ teaspoon (⅓ teaspoon) ground vanilla, or vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon stollen spices, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander

To spread

• 100 grams (7 tablespoons) butter, coarse
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 60 grams (½ cup) powdered sugar, coarse

Instructions

• Mix raisins with candied orange peel, candied lemon peel and almonds and pour the juice over them. Cover and leave to stand overnight, but an hour is enough to prepare the dough.
• Crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk. Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir until the yeast is dissolved.
• Put the flour with the remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a deep well in the center and pour in the yeast milk. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.
• Cut the marzipan paste into tiny pieces. Add to the mixing bowl together with the soft butter, eggs and spices. Mix everything together briefly and then knead (leave to knead) for about 5 minutes. The yeast dough should come away from the edge of the bowl.
• Let dough rise, covered, in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. Then knead in the dried fruit mixture and let rise again in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Form a very large or two smaller stollen. If you use a Stollen baking pan (approx. 13 in/ 33 cm), put the dough into it before the second rising time.
• Place the Stollen on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. If necessary, use your hands to decorate the Stollen mold again. Because the Stollen tends to get wider and flatter without a mold, you can limit it a bit on the baking sheet, for example, by using double-folded aluminum foil or by placing a loaf pan on one side.
• Cover the Stollen again and let it rise for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C. Bake the Stollen for 10 minutes, then bake at only 340°F/170°C for another 40 minutes on the second rack from the bottom. Cover towards the end if it gets too dark.
• Melt the butter. Remove the finished Stollen from the oven and remove any burnt raisins. While still hot, brush Stollen several times with the butter. Sprinkle with the regular sugar first. Let cool completely, remove excess sugar slightly with a spoon or similar. Finally, sift the powdered sugar over the top.

Notes

• Alternative ingredients: Candied orange peel and candied lemon peel taste only very subtle. If you want to do without them completely, you can use more raisins and/or cranberries instead.
• Shape the Christmas stollen: First, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a rectangle with rounded corners. Fold one of the long sides into the center over the other, covering about two-thirds of the dough. Press each of the "seams" down with your fingers.
• Storage: The Christstollen is best stored well wrapped in aluminum foil in a cool, dry place. It should be left for two to three days before cutting.

 

You want to replace ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!

Variations

By the way, if you're looking for other German Christmas recipes, then check out, for example, my cinnamon stars recipe or the delicious gingerbread.

Nutrition