Dresdner Stollen

I have been eating Stollen during the winter holiday season for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I mostly remember my family eating a store-bought version of this German fruitcake-like bread, but when I got older most of the Stollen we ate was made by my Mom. This recipe still came from The German &Viennese Cookbook like the others on this blog, but it feels very homey.

Dresdner Stollen/Stollen

2 C blanched almonds, chopped, divided

1 C golden raisins

½ C currants

1 C chopped citron

1 tbsp grated lemon peel

2 pkgs OR 4 ½ tsp yeast

½ C warm water

1 C milk

1 C sugar

1 C butter, softened

2 tsp salt

7-8 C flour, divided

1 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs, well beaten

Melted butter

2 C confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp milk

Mix 1 ½ C of chopped almonds with the fruit and set aside.

Soften yeast in water. Scald milk. Mix butter, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Pour scalded milk over butter mixture until butter is completely melted. Blend in 1 C flour and nutmeg until smooth. Add in yeast mixture, stirring well. Add 3 C or so of flour to mixture and beat until very smooth. Add eggs, beating well. Add fruit and nut mixture to dough. Mix in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Warning: Stollen is a very dense bread, so by the time you are adding in the last bit of flour, the mixture will be incredibly heavy and difficult to mix!

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes. Knead dough, form into a smooth ball, and place in a greased bowl. Cover bowl with wax paper and a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, or for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Punch down dough, pull edges in to center and turn dough completely over in bowl. Re-cover bowl and let rise until doubled, or for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Punch down dough again and turned onto floured surface. Divide into 2 fairly equal portions and shape each into a smooth ball. Allow dough to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Roll or pat each ball of dough into an oval about 13 in. long and about 1 in. thick. Using a rolling pin, flatten one lengthwise half of each oval to ½ in. thick. Fold thicker half of each oval over the thinner half. Lightly press edges together to seal fold. Place one Stollen on each cookie sheet. You can grease the cookie sheets, but I prefer to use parchment paper. Brush tops with melted butter. Cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled, or about 1 ½ hours.

Bake at 350oF for 35 to 40 minutes, or until Stollen are golden brown. Don’t be afraid to slightly over-brown the Stollen, because the bread is so dense that you want to be sure that it’s cooked through.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Combine powdered sugar and vanilla, then slowly add enough milk to create a thick glaze. Once Stollen are baked, immediately remove from baking sheets and place on cooking racks. Drizzle frosting over tops and sprinkle reserved ½ C almonds over frosting.

I actually made a half-recipe of the glaze because I prefer to eat Stollen as a breakfast bread rather than as a dessert. While this is definitely not a dish for people who hate candied fruit, it is absolutely a delicious take on the traditional fruitcake of this season, and I will always hold a special place in my heart for Stollen. Since this recipe made two large loaves, we will be enjoying this for several days to come toasted and buttered with milk for breakfast. I recommend slicing the Stollen in about 1 in. slices for serving, as this allows for enough room to get a good serving of fruit in each slice.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!