Stollen is thought to have originated in Dresden, Germany in the 1400’s. The Catholic Church at that time forbade the use of butter during Lent so, unlike today, the first stollens were a heavy, tasteless pastry. The Pope eventually lifted the ban and declared that stollen could be baked with butter with a “clear conscience and with God’s blessings.”
By 1600 Christbrote uff Weihnachten (Christ’s bread of Christmas) was sold in the Dresden “Striezelmarkt,” the oldest existing Christmas Market in Germany. The traditional shape of the stollen – tapered at each end with a ridge down the middle – represents the Christ Child wrapped in swaddling clothes.
This is the Dresdener Stollen that is served in my home at Christmas time, the recipe used by my mother and grandmother and generations before them. I hope it will become a part of your holiday tradition too.
Dresdener Stollen…from Mom’s recipe box
- 1 package yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup milk, scalded
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 4 – 4-1/2 cups flour
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 3/4 cup white raisins
- 1/2 cup candied fruit (I used pineapple and cherries)
- 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts)
Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Combine milk, butter, sugar, salt and cardamom. Cool to lukewarm. Mix in 2 cups flour. Beat well. Add yeast and egg. Again beat well. Stir in fruits and nuts. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead till smooth, about 8-10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and moisten the surface of the dough with a little oil. Let rise till doubled, about 2 hours.
Punch down the dough and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 2 or 3 parts depending on how large you want your stollens. I cut it into thirds if I’m giving them as gifts. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece into a 10 x 6 inch rectangle and fold in half lengthwise to within 1 inch of the opposite side. Let rise for 1 hour.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Immediately frost with a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons hot water and 2 teaspoons butter. Decorate with candied fruit and chopped nuts.
I’ve tried many stollen recipes and this one is the best. It keeps well and stays moist because of the added fruits. I like to top a slice with a little butter and have it with a cup of tea or coffee. If your holiday tradition includes this famous German treat I hope you will try this recipe.
Cathy, right now, I would give my right arm for a slice of this stollen. I have not tried making Dresden stollen, but since your recipe is tried and true, I really must put this on my list of "have to try." I love it with an addition of marzipan in the center.
Cathy, first I have to say how much I like your blog background & title photographs. It is always nice to look at snow through others eyes & images, than having to go out and shovel.
I have never made a Stollen, but absolutely love their sweetness and texture. I especially like the icing ~ it's always'finger-licking' good. Your recipe is wonderful and seems pretty straight-forward. Maybe this is the year to make yours and enjoy the history you have presented, as an added treat. Many thanks for sharing this delicious Stollen recipe.
Oh, that was lovely. It reminded me of my German grandmother who made something like it every holiday. I must make one@
Cathy, Such a pretty loaf. I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Your header is lovely!! And so is the stollen..I'll keep your recipe..It looks perfect!
Cathy, you stollen is perfect for the holidays. I love the wintery look your blog has taken on. We've had no snow yet, but it is bitter cold these mornings. Hve a wonderful day.
What a wonderful tradition! The bread looks scrumptious!
It's always a joy to visit you, Cathy. I thoroughly enjoyed the history behind stollen. It looks like a little piece of heaven–I can just imagine it with tea.
Cathy, that looks so pretty! I would love a slice of it right now. This is going on my ever-growing to-try list!!
Oh that looks beautiful Cathy…I love Stollen and I miss being in Germany for the Holidays…
Your looks just wonderful!
Our stollen has always been bought — not made (since it was my FATHER who was German) but since your recipe is so tried and true, I might have to try making it this year! Homemade has to be better than bought any day!
Well, thank God they lifted the ban on butter, LOL! Now if they would only say I could have meat on Fridays during Lent..I will be soo happy!
DH made a great stollen one year, and I lost the recipe..
I am copying this for him to try!
I love it..such a wonderful tradition.
I always remember we had it at Christmas..my mom didn't bake it, but she knew a good bakery, LOL!
Thanks, Cathy!
A beautiful stollen made from a special recipe! And I love the header pictures!
I love your new look and header photos. Snow is flying in all over the US!
Your stollen is beautiful and even more special from your mother's recipe.
I enjoyed the story….and the stollen looks really good esp with the glaze and candied fruit. real festive looking
It is beautiful! And, it must be delicious. I enjoyed the history that you provided!
I'll be right over to have a slice of that and a cup of tea. How many hours from Kansas?? Put the kettle on!
Smiles,
Nancy
How fortunate you are to have your family recipe for Stollen. Now you are sharing it with us…many thanks.
Sam
Simply gorgeous! Looks so delicious too. I love the way you decorate it with cherries which add colour to your stollen.
The stollen looks delicious! I love your new header and the snow falling through your blog is very nice and calming. I'm so bummed that it didn't snow here… this helps. How'd you do that?
I always love reading about the history of different foods. This is great!
Beautiful bread! I'd love a slice right now!
Love your snowy header!
i love food with history! this is so pretty, adn i love your new header, gorgeous!
I love that you are maintaining the tradition with your stollen. It's absolutely beautiful. and I love those little snowflakes falling down.
Beautiful Stollen, Cathy! I don't think I've seen a prettier version in my life ~ beautifully executed.
My goodness, I would love a slice right now with a hot cup of tea. 🙂
Gorgeous new header, too! xo
Thank you for this beautiful stollen recipe, Cathy! It's gorgeous and I bet delicious. I've never made stollen but after seeing your post, I'm going to try.
Oh I love stollen. Thanks for posting this. Old family recipes are wonderful.
I have not made stollen before, but it is such a beautiful bread and tradition that I need to give it a try.I would love a piece of this now with my coffee!
For many years I have made stollen for Christmas morning. My adult children don't think I need to do it anymore, but I still love it and will probably make it for me.
I had no idea the story behind the stollen. I have never made one but I buy one every year even if the ones in the store contain so much fat. I figure it is a once a year thing so what the heck!
Joyce
It's nice to meet someone else with German roots. I've yet to make my own stollen, but it's on my list to make this very weekend. I'm fond of the one with almond paste in the middle. Yum! Your version is quite lovely, too. My mother was from Bavaria, so many of my recipes are from her. Heirloom recipes are wonderful, and it's nice to see yo sharing them.
I just made your Dresdener Stollen today. It is about the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted. I made 1.5 of the recipe and made 4 decent sized loaves for gifts. Actually 3 for gifts and 1 for us. I agonized over buying cardamom – $10.99 at my local grocer – but decided that since it was a gift it was OK. I'm so glad I did. It wouldn't be the same without it. Thank you!
Your stollen is the best looking one I have seen. Do you think it would be possible to substitute sweetened dried fruit for the candied fruit. Strangely, I couldn’t find candied fruit at my grocery store but I did manage to find dried sweetened pineapple and cherries, along with golden raisins.
Hi Erin – Thank you for your comment. I don’t know why the dried fruits wouldn’t work. If they are dried like raisins I would try to reconstitute them in a little warm rum or orange juice. That way they won’t pull a lot of moisture out of the stollen dough. Give it a try and please let me know. I buy wonderful candied fruits at OhNuts.com. You might look there if you can’t find what you want.
Happy holidays.
Cathy Farley recently posted..Mexican Stuffed Green Peppers
I just found your blog this morning looking for a good lebkuchen recipe. As a current resident of North Carolina who grew up in Oregon, I loved seeing the falls and pictures of Cannon beach. I’m making my stollen today and it always makes me feel connected to my German roots and the generations of women before me who have carried on this special tradition. Thank you for sharing!