Stollen Recipe | Jamie Oliver (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between panettone and stollen? ›

Although their different shapes and textures suggest otherwise, panettone (tall and light) and stollen (long and dense) are made from a basic butter- and sugar-enriched yeast dough. Panettone typically contains candied orange peel and raisins; traditional stollen had candied lemon peel and dried cherries as well.

Christmas Stollen, also called a Christstollen in Germany, is a traditional pastry dating from the 14th century. Stollen loaves were made in Germany during the Christmas season to sell at fairs and festivals and to honor princes and church leaders.

This traditional German holiday bread was invented long before conventional refrigeration methods existed. As such it is designed to remain fresh and has a long shelf-life.

Place one stollen (using the parchment it is sitting on to move it) in the middle of each piece and wrap them up well. Then, wrap them tightly in aluminium foil. Store in a cool dry place for 4-6 weeks before eating.

Saxony's World Famous Delicacy. The Dresdner Christstollen is a piece of cultural history, a centuries-old baking tradition, a prevailing passion and, above all, a delicious treat. For centuries, Dresden's bakers and pastry makers have kept up this tradition, passing it on from generation to generation.

The traditional weight of a stollen is around 2 kg (4.4 lb), but smaller sizes are common. The bread is slathered with melted unsalted butter and rolled in sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven, resulting in a moister product that keeps better. The marzipan rope in the middle is optional.

It hails from the city of Dresden, Germany, where it was first produced in the late 1500s. Stollen is enjoyed throughout the year, but at the holidays, it is loaded with more fruits and nuts, items that were historically only available through importation from Italy, and therefore very expensive.

Specially Selected Luxury Topped Stollen 600g | ALDI.

Serving the Stollen

Traditionally stollen is sliced and served as is with breakfast, although some people prefer to warm individual slices in a toaster or a microwave.

Stollen is basically a yeast-based fruit cake with lots of sugar, butter, raisins, rum aroma and powdered sugar. Traditionally there is also high fructose corn sirup involved, so not exactly what you would call a healthy treat (but pretty delicious tbh).

What is a fun fact about stollen? ›

The city of Dresden in Saxony has played a big role in the history of Stollen. In 1730 a Dresden baker named Zacharias baked a giant stollen so large, it took eight horses to pull it out of the oven. But most stollen today are about the size of a normal loaf of bread, usually covered with white powdered sugar.

How long will stollen last? Stollen will last several months if kept covered in a cool, dry place. Stollen loaves are made in early November for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. Stollen loaves will become more moist and flavorful with age.

Like you'd expect, you eat a Stollen in slices, often with your coffee or Christmas punch. Some people put butter and jam on it. As with just about every baked product in this part of the world, you find different varieties in Vienna.

To ensure the fruits impart moisture to the stollen, the fruits are plumped by an overnight soak in rum (Myer's Dark Rum is my favorite) or brandy.

Stollen gets better with age and can be enjoyed up to 3 weeks after baking if stored properly. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before wrapping it again tightly in aluminum foil. Age it in a cool and dark area, such as the pantry, until serving. Optional: switch up the dried fruit.

Two of fruitcake's closest relatives are especially beloved this time of year: Italian panettone and German stollen. The first hails from Milan and the latter is a culinary symbol of Dresden, but you'll find fine examples of both in Denver's western suburbs, of all places.

Stollen is a traditional German Christmas loaf densely packed with raisins and rich with real butter. It has a special place amongst traditional German Christmas pastries. Stollen is sometimes referred to as ChristStollen, Weihnachtsstollen or Winterbrot.

In Middle High German, “Strutzel” or “Striezel” referred to a yeast pastry in an elongated, sometimes braided form. It was probably intended as a reminder of the swaddled child in the Christian Christmas story. In some Saxon towns, this “Christbrot” was also called “Stollen” or “Stolle” because of its bead-like body.

Germans baked stollen loaves at Christmas to honor princes and church dignitaries, and to sell at fairs and festivals for holiday celebrations.