The bakers of Dresden created this recipe, a subtle blend of spices, candied lemon and orange peel,
rum-flavoured raisins and kirsch.
Ingredients
375 g (2 1/2 to 3 cups) flour
175 g (6 oz.) marzipan
175 ml (3/4 c.) milk
75 g (1/4 c.) candied lemon and orange peel
The zest of one lemon
75 g (1/4 c.) raisins
50 g (2 tbsp.) butter + more for brushing
40 g (2/3 c.) almonds
2 tbsp. rum
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. nutmeg
Seeds of 3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 packet of dry yeast
1 beaten egg
A pinch of salt
Icing sugar
(In Austria, Stollen resembles a fruit cake. There they add:)
50 g (1/2 c.) red currants
40 g (1/4 c.) cherries
Directions:
Combine the fruit, peel and zest with the rum to macerate;
place the butter, milk and sugar in a small saucepan; heat gently until the sugar is dissolved;
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, yeast and cardamom;
make a well in the centre; pour the melted butter mixture and the eggs into the well; knead all the ingredients together for 5 minutes to form a smooth, supple dough; if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour; add in the macerated fruit, peel, zest and almonds; cover with greased paper and leave to rise for 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume;
Knead again on a floured surface; roll out into a 25 cm (10") square;
spread the marzipan over the centre; fold each side over to form a rectangle;
turn over and place on a buttered baking sheet; cover with greased paper and let rise again for one hour or until doubled in volume.
Place into a preheated 190° C (375° F) oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the bread is nicely browned and produces a hollow sound when the bottom is rapped; remove from the oven; brush with melted butter; sprinkle with icing sugar.
Options:
Almond and Walnut Stollen
This specialty Stollen, with its scent of toasted walnuts perfectly balanced with little pieces of almonds, is irresistible. Almond-walnut Stollen is also made without candied citrus peel or raisins, which is why it is enjoyed even by those who ordinarily don’t like Stollen.
Chocolate Stollen
Crunchy hazelnuts, a few almonds and chocolate chips
Storage
Stollen can be kept for a long time if well wrapped and stored in a slightly humid, cool place (10-15° C / 50-60° F) – some cellars, for example, or in the basket in the lower part of the refrigerator. It will not last in an overly warm location.
CHRISTMAS STOLLEN
A German Christmas Fairytale
The traditional German Christmas cake, is a colorful collection of nuts, raisins, currants, candied orange and lemon peel, traditional spices of Christmas such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, mace or cloves, brandy or rum and lots of butter.
As you wander through the many traditional Christmas markets, discover a piece of German hospilitality. Sniff the aroma of freshly roasted almonds and gingerbread spices. Warm your hands and your heart with a hearty swig of mulled wine and let yourself be enchanted by the sound of christmas trumpets and choirs.
In Germany, Christmas is symbolized by the famous stollen, a traditional holiday bread that derives from a tradition more than 500 years old. Stollen are traditionally made from the end of September until the end of December. They are a breakfast fruit bread, filled with marzipan, served either hot or cold. The pleasure of stollen is even greater the second day at breakfast explains Bernd Kütscher, when you bite into a toasted slice, slathered with butter!
There are numerous varieties of stollen, including one that looks like a large filled crêpe. In fact, it’s a cake studded with rum-soaked candied fruits, filled with almond cream and folded over to enclose the filling. This particular variety symbolizes the baby Jesus wrapped in his swaddling clothes. If you ask bakers in Dresden for their recipe, they won’t tell you. What they will say is that you’ll need the finest candied fruits and nuts, the freshest eggs and butter for this holiday sweet bread.