Recipe Details

Recipe

Recipe Title: Karla’s Bakery Recipe: Stollen
Author's Note: World War II left much of Germany devastated, and resources for baking elaborate holiday treats like stollen were scarce. Ingredients such as butter, sugar, dried fruits, and almonds were either rationed or unavailable, forcing bakers and home cooks to adapt. My grandmother, Karla, in The Electrician and the Seamstress simplified the recipe and used whatever ingredients were available. Lard often replaced butter, and dried fruits like raisins were replaced with more affordable or locally available substitutes. In some cases, stollen was made with little to no sweetener, relying on powdered sugar (when obtainable) to add a touch of sweetness to the final product. Despite these limitations, making stollen remained an important tradition. It symbolized resilience and hope during the holiday season. Families often pooled ration coupons or foraged for ingredients to ensure they could create a version of this beloved Christmas bread. As Germany recovered economically in the 1950s, traditional stollen recipes began to reemerge. With the end of rationing and the return of staple ingredients, bakers once again incorporated butter, candied fruits, nuts, and marzipan into their recipes. The city of Dresden, the historic home of stollen, reclaimed its reputation as the center of this festive tradition, with the annual Stollenfest reviving cultural pride. The post-war years marked a shift in stollen's role: it became not just a Christmas treat, but also a symbol of endurance and the ability to find joy even in the face of scarcity.
Overview of Recipe: Stollen, a quintessential German holiday treat, is a rich, fruit-laden bread traditionally enjoyed during the Christmas season. This festive loaf, brimming with dried fruits, nuts, and spices, and often containing a marzipan center, is lovingly dusted with powdered sugar, evoking the winter snow, making it not just a delicious delicacy but also a symbol of holiday cheer and tradition
Tag List: #KarlaBakeryRecipe;#Stollen;#Dessert;#Christmas
Minutes to Prepare: 120
Minutes to Cook: 40
Servings or People Served?: 16 Servings
Recipe Category: Bread - Various types of bread, including loaves, rolls, and flatbreads
Recipe Cuisine: German
Image Attribution
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Last Updated Date: 1/19/25 11:03 P
Public Title Route: karla-s-bakery-recipe-stollen

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Recipe Section	Order #	Ingredient	Substitutions	Actions
	0.80	1 cup unsalted butter, softened
	0.90	1 cup sugar
	0.95	1 cup milk, scalded and cooled
	8.00	4 cups all-purpose flour
	9.00	1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
	10.00	1/4 cup warm water
	11.00	1 teaspoon salt
	12.00	1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
	13.00	1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
	14.00	Zest of 1 lemon
	14.10	1 cup raisins
	14.20	1 cup currants
	14.30	1 cup chopped candied citrus peel
	14.40	1 cup chopped nuts (such as almonds or hazelnuts)
	15.00	Powdered sugar, for dusting
	16.00	Additional melted butter, for brushing

Instructions

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Recipe Section	Order #	Instruction					Actions
	1.00	In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit until it becomes frothy (about 5-10 minutes).
	2.00	In a large mixing bowl, combine the scalded and cooled milk, sugar, and softened butter. Mix until well combined.
	3.00	Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture and stir well.
	4.00	In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
	5.00	Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing to form a dough.
	6.00	Knead the dough on a floured surface until it becomes smooth and elastic.
	7.00	Add the raisins, currants, candied citrus peel, chopped nuts, and lemon zest to the dough. Knead until the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed.
	8.00	Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approximately 1-2 hours).
	10.00	Punch down the dough and shape it into a traditional Stollen loaf, folding it in half lengthwise if desired.
	11.00	Place the shaped Stollen on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let it rise for an additional 30-60 minutes.
	11.50	Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
	12.00	Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the Stollen is golden brown.
	13.00	While still warm, brush the top of the Stollen with melted butter and dust it generously with powdered sugar.
	14.00	Allow the Stollen to cool completely before slicing and serving.

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Author's Note

World War II left much of Germany devastated, and resources for baking elaborate holiday treats like stollen were scarce. Ingredients such as butter, sugar, dried fruits, and almonds were either rationed or unavailable, forcing bakers and home cooks to adapt. My grandmother, Karla, in The Electrician and the Seamstress simplified the recipe and used whatever ingredients were available. Lard often replaced butter, and dried fruits like raisins were replaced with more affordable or locally available substitutes. In some cases, stollen was made with little to no sweetener, relying on powdered sugar (when obtainable) to add a touch of sweetness to the final product.

Despite these limitations, making stollen remained an important tradition. It symbolized resilience and hope during the holiday season. Families often pooled ration coupons or foraged for ingredients to ensure they could create a version of this beloved Christmas bread.

As Germany recovered economically in the 1950s, traditional stollen recipes began to reemerge. With the end of rationing and the return of staple ingredients, bakers once again incorporated butter, candied fruits, nuts, and marzipan into their recipes. The city of Dresden, the historic home of stollen, reclaimed its reputation as the center of this festive tradition, with the annual Stollenfest reviving cultural pride.

The post-war years marked a shift in stollen's role: it became not just a Christmas treat, but also a symbol of endurance and the ability to find joy even in the face of scarcity.

Karla’s Bakery Recipe: Stollen

Stollen, a quintessential German holiday treat, is a rich, fruit-laden bread traditionally enjoyed during the Christmas season. This festive loaf, brimming with dried fruits, nuts, and spices, and often containing a marzipan center, is lovingly dusted with powdered sugar, evoking the winter snow, making it not just a delicious delicacy but also a symbol of holiday cheer and tradition

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk, scalded and cooled
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup chopped candied citrus peel
1 cup chopped nuts (such as almonds or hazelnuts)
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Additional melted butter, for brushing

Instructions

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit until it becomes frothy (about 5-10 minutes).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the scalded and cooled milk, sugar, and softened butter. Mix until well combined.
Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture and stir well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing to form a dough.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Add the raisins, currants, candied citrus peel, chopped nuts, and lemon zest to the dough. Knead until the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approximately 1-2 hours).
Punch down the dough and shape it into a traditional Stollen loaf, folding it in half lengthwise if desired.
Place the shaped Stollen on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let it rise for an additional 30-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the Stollen is golden brown.
While still warm, brush the top of the Stollen with melted butter and dust it generously with powdered sugar.
Allow the Stollen to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Serves: 16 Servings

Category: Bread

Cuisine: German

Updated: 2 weeks ago

#KarlaBakeryRecipe #Stollen #Dessert #Christmas