Ah Stollen! One of my favorite things about Christmas and it always brings back such happy memories of visiting my grandmother around the holiday season. She would always have a traditional ‘Christstollen’ – a yeasty, bready cake with almond paste and dried fruits and coated with fine powdered sugar.
Traditionally, Stollen is made ahead of time and allowed to age for a minimum of three weeks. In this recipe I suggest making the dried fruits filling 2-4 weeks before making the stollen. The almond paste can also be made up to three months in advance. For best results, bake your Stollen at least a day ahead.
To make Stollen, you will need the following ingredients:So, how to make Stollen?
Start by toasting the hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, almonds and walnuts.
Chop the walnuts and prunes roughly. Dice the candied orange peel.
In a large bowl, mix the dried fruits and nuts with sugar and add the Kirschwasser. Stir well to combine.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Shake the container well every week and drain the liquid before using. Reserve the liquid for drizzling over Stollen slices or to make Christmas cocktails.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, eggs, and egg yolks. Add the spices, salt and honey or trimoline. Mix to combine.
Add the flours, sugar and yeast. Mix for 5 minutes on low speed to combine before increasing the speed to medium. Continue to mix for about 15 minutes until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally when mixing.
Gradually add the butter and continue to mix the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Add the drained dried fruits and mix on low until the filling is well distributed throughout the dough. Cover and leave to prove for about 90 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
Place the sugar, water and glucose in a saucepan and heat to 244 ºF.
Place the almond meal in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Pour the hot syrup over the meal and mix together on a low speed, immediately add the trimoline or honey, Kirschwasser, and almond extract. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Place the almond paste on a surface and shape it into a cylindrical log. Wrap the cylinder tightly in plastic food wrap and prick a few holes in it. Leave to rest at room temperature. The paste will keep for up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF.
Transfer the risen Stollen dough to a clean work surface. Knock the air out of the dough and shape into a log. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes before dividing into 2 1.8 lb portions 1 0.9 lb portion. Shape into rounds. Cover the dough shapes and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Flatten the dough gently on a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, make a mark in the dough. Place the almond paste log in the indentation. Fold over the dough and seal.
Place the Stollen on a baking sheet and leave to prove for 90 minutes.
Bake the largest ones for 40-45 minutes and the smaller Stollen for 30-35 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for two hours.
Before serving, brush the Stollen with melted butter. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.
This Stollen recipe will transport you to Germany if you decide to make it this Christmas! If you make it this year, don’t forget to tag your holiday baking photos with #cookmerecipes.
Amazing! I love it! Thanks for sharing recipe!
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