Stollen is a traditional fruit bread that originated in Germany. It is particularly popular during Christmas and is considered a festive treat. Stollen is rich and dense, filled with dried fruits, nuts, and spices, and typically dusted with powdered sugar.
Stollen recipes may vary across regions and families. The dough is typically folded over the filling and shaped into an oval or oblong loaf. This shape is said to resemble the swaddled baby Jesus. Once baked, Stollen is traditionally coated with powdered sugar. Some variations may also be brushed with melted butter for added richness.
Stollen came to Chile with the German immigration occurring during the 19th and early 20th centuries. German immigrants, such as Valdivia, Osorno, and Frutillar, played a crucial role in colonizing and developing the Lake region in southern Chile. They contributed to establishing agricultural communities and brought their farming expertise to the area.
Stollen is a traditional Christmas bread in southern Chile, thanks to the German immigrants in the second half of 1800 who settled around the lakes in the south.
One of my mom’s best friends was a descendant of immigrant Germans, and she shared many recipes with my family. I grew up eating stollen at Christmas, served at the sweets table next to our traditional Chilean Fruitcake, cookies, and meringues. My mom did it without marzipan, so I have not used it in this recipe.
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Easy German Stollen without Marzipan
A delicious option for Christmas.
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: for 2 long loaves 15 servings each
Ingredients
For fruits and spices,
- 1 cup of candied fruit
- 1 cup of golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons of lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 cup rum or orange juice
For the initial dough,
- 10 grams of instant dry yeast
- 1 cup of warm milk
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the rest of the dough,
- 120 grams of unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt, omit if they use butter with salt
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- marzipan, optional
For the sugar glaze,
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup liquid cream
Instructions
- For the fruit, nuts, and spices: Put everything together in a bowl and set aside.
- For the initial dough: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk. Add the flour and stir vigorously until mixed. Let stand covered in a warm place for 30 minutes. It should look more elastic and spongy after leavening.
- Add the butter to the dough and incorporate. You can do it by hand, working with a wooden spoon or the mixer using a flat paddle. Add the eggs and continue beating until a homogeneous dough is formed. Add the salt, milk, almonds, sugar, fruits, and spices soaked in the rum. Mix to incorporate.
- Add the rest of the flour and knead until an elastic dough forms. Use the mixer with the hook attachment, but be careful because it is a heavy mass.
- Cut the dough into two halves. Extend in an oval of approximately 30 x 20 cm. If they use marzipan, place it on one end and roll the dough, leaving a little of the dough out. If you do not use marzipan, fold it up in half.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place each roll on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let it rise. Cover with a cloth for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C or 375F.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the stollen is golden brown on top and bottom. And a stick buried in the middle comes out clean. Or the internal temperature of the bread is 190F or 88C. Remove to a rack and cool for 30 minutes before decorating with the sugar glaze.
- For the sugar glaze: Mix the sugar with the cream until it forms a semi-liquid paste (like the consistency of the glue). Cover the stollen. Let dry.
- Serve in slices.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: German
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