3 ways to make stollen – delicious German Christmas bread for Christmas

Mixing the cake dough

Add 500g of flour, 5g of salt, 5g of brown yeast, 30g of sugar, and 10g of cinnamon powder into a bowl and mix well.

Add 260ml of warm fresh milk, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 egg, and 160g of butter to the flour mixture and mix well until the dough is sticky.

Preparing fruit preserves

Place a pot on the stove, add 100g of pineapple, 100g of apple, and 100g of raisins into the pot with a little water, cook until softened, then remove and drain.

Kneading the dough

Add the dried fruits, orange peel, and lemon peel into a bowl of flour, then use a dough mixer to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, and does not stick to your hands.

Proofing the dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and cover it tightly with plastic wrap, proof for 2 – 3 hours until the dough doubles in size.

Shaping the dough and second proofing

Knead the dough briefly, then divide it into 2 parts, and shape the dough into an elongated oval like a loaf of bread.

Place the dough in a mold, cover it with a cloth, and let it proof for another 40 minutes.

Baking the bread

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, then place the dough in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius and bake for an additional 30 – 40 minutes until the bread is done.

Melt 50g of butter and brush it over the entire surface of the warm bread, then sprinkle 10g of powdered sugar on top to finish.

Final product

The stollen is fragrant with the smell of butter, sweet from the powdered sugar coating, the cake is chewy and soft, sweet and rich interspersed with a slight sourness from the nutritious dried fruits.

Prepare dried fruits soaked in rum

Put Sultanas raisins and red raisins in a bowl and heat them in the microwave for about 40 minutes.

Then, take the bowl out and add 50ml of dark rum to the bowl and mix well.

Mix and proof the flour

Add 120ml of warm milk and 2 teaspoons of dry yeast into a bowl, stir well and let it sit for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate.

Gradually add 375gr of white bread flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 50gr of cane sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder into the mixing bowl and stir well with a spoon.

Then, slowly pour the warm milk and yeast mixture into the center of the bowl, using a spoon to gently mix so that the milk absorbs into the flour in the bowl.

Sprinkle a little flour around the wet dough in the center of the bowl, cover with a cloth, and let the dough proof in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Make almond cake

You add 115g of almond flour, 50g of cane sugar, and 50g of powdered sugar into a bowl and then mix well with a spoon.

You squeeze 1/2 lemon and add 2 teaspoons of beaten egg into the bowl and mix well.

You continue to add another 2 teaspoons of egg and mix until all the eggs and flour form a lump, then stop.

After that, you use your hands to knead the dough and roll it into a long shape about 20cm, then place it on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.

Mixing and kneading the dough

After the bread dough has risen, you open the cloth and add 50g of melted butter and 1 beaten egg into the bowl. Then, use your hands to knead until the dough forms a cohesive mass, then stop.

If the dough seems dry, you can add an extra teaspoon of beaten egg and continue kneading.

You place the dough on the table and knead it for 10 minutes. After that, put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and set it aside to let it rise.

Finishing the dough

You place the dough on the table, flatten it, then sprinkle the soaked dried fruits, 50g of mixed lemon jam, and 50g of dried almonds on top of the dough.

You roll the dough into a ball, using your hands to knead it evenly so that the dough and ingredients mix together.

Shape the cake

Sprinkle flour on the countertop and place the mixed dough with dried fruits on it. Then, use a rolling pin to shape the dough to about 30cmx23cm.

Place the almond filling in the center and fold the bottom layer of dough over it. Next, use your hands to pinch the edges of the dough to secure the shape of the cake.

Put the cake on a tray, wrap it with plastic, and let it sit in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Bake the cake

Place the cake in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes at a temperature of about 200 degrees Celsius (equivalent to 400 degrees Fahrenheit).

After baking, remove the cake from the oven and brush melted butter over the entire surface of the cake. Finally, sprinkle powdered sugar to cover the top of the cake, and the dish is complete.

Final Product

Almond stollen cake with a shiny, crispy layer, sweet and sour raisins, crunchy and nutritious almonds, fragrant orange and lemon jam, and an impressive filling promise to be a cake that you cannot miss this Christmas! Let’s get into the kitchen and start making it right away!

Mix the dry ingredients

You place a sieve over the bowl and add 2g of yeast, 32g of cake flour, 80g of bread flour, 15g of pure cocoa powder, 20g of sugar, and 2g of salt into the bowl through the sieve.

You use the whisk to beat until the flour and spices form a uniform and harmonious mixture.

Mixing butter and almond cake

You put 32g of almond cake and 20g of unsalted butter into a bowl (the type used for rice). Then, you use a flat whisk to mix until the butter and almond cake combine evenly.

Mixing the egg milk mixture

You pour 80ml of milk into a bowl. Then, you crack and separate the egg yolk into a small bowl (the type used for dipping sauces).

You use a flat whisk to beat the egg yolk thoroughly before adding it to the bowl with the milk. Next, you stir well to combine the egg and milk.

Then, you place the egg milk mixture in the microwave and heat it at 500W for 20 seconds until the temperature of the mixture is approximately 30 degrees Celsius.

Mixing and kneading the dough

You slowly pour the egg milk mixture into the bowl of dry flour and then use your hands to knead the dough.

Next, you add 1/2 of the unsalted butter mixture and almond cake to knead. You can use a flat whisk to knead the dough if it is too sticky in the bowl.

You cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius for about 60 minutes in the oven.

Prepare the nuts and dried fruits

You gradually place dark chocolate chips, raisins, almond slices, and dried cranberries onto separate plates for dipping.

For the raw almond slices, you roast them in the oven. As for the dried fruits, you soak them in 10ml of rum and 3g of honey in a sealed container for a few days before using.

However, it’s best to soak the dried fruits in rum and honey for 1 month to achieve a better flavor.

Complete the cake dough

You open the dry cloth, use a flat spatula to spread the dough evenly across the bottom of the bowl, then gradually add the prepared nuts and dried fruits. After that, mix well.

Shaping and Baking

You roll out the dough on a tray and start kneading to shape it into a horizontal cylinder.

Then, you cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rise in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes at a temperature of 95 degrees F, equivalent to 35 degrees C.

When the dough has risen, you immediately prepare the oven and bake the bread at a temperature of 356 – 374 degrees F, equivalent to 180 – 190 degrees C for about 35 – 40 minutes.

In the last 8 minutes, you cover the bread with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning while baking.

Once the baking time is up, you take the bread out, use a skewer to poke into the bread and pull it out to check if the bread is fully cooked. If there is still wet dough sticking to the skewer, you should bake the bread again.

Completion

You melt 20g of unsalted butter and brush it around the bread while it is still hot, then sprinkle granulated sugar all over the surface of the bread.

After the bread has cooled for 20 minutes, you continue to sprinkle powdered sugar to cover the entire bread.

Finally, you store the bread in an airtight container for about 7 days before enjoying it.

Final Product

The Chocolate Stollen cake has a sweet sugar crust on the outside, with a fragrant filling of warm cacao combined with dried raisins, soft and chewy dried blackberries, sweet and sour, crunchy almond slices, and rich dark chocolate chips that are delicious and irresistible.

Enjoying this cake on Christmas Eve is simply delightful. Start preparing now to make yourself a perfect cake!