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!
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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?
Can you bake Christmas stollen without candied orange peel, candied lemon peel and raisins?
How can Christstollen be shaped?
How to use a Christmas stollen baking pan?
How long should Christstollen be stored?
What is the best way to pack and store Christmas stollen?
Can Christstollen be frozen?
Recipe Card
German Christmas Stollen (Christstollen)
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) all-purpose 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.
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
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About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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