Looking for a festive holiday bread that’s traditional, fragrant, and utterly delicious? This Stollen Bread combines plump dried fruit, warm spices, and a hint of rum, with a soft marzipan center for an unmistakable Christmas flavor. It’s ideal for sharing, gifting, or adding to a holiday dessert table.
Stollen Bread is a classic German Christmas loaf. Like many festive fruit cakes, it features soaked dried fruit—here, golden and dark raisins—flavored with dark rum or brandy. What sets stollen apart is the rolled marzipan filling running through its center, giving the bread an extra almond-sweet richness that distinguishes it from other holiday breads such as panettone.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Christmas tradition – Baking stollen is a joyful seasonal ritual. It’s a rewarding recipe to add to your holiday routine.
- Rich flavor – The buttery dough, warming spices, and sweet marzipan make each slice feel indulgent.
- Familiar ingredients – Most of the components are pantry staples or common seasonal items, so the recipe is approachable wherever you are.
- Perfect with hot drinks – Serve slices with tea, coffee, or a dessert wine for a cozy treat when guests drop by.
For exact ingredient amounts and a printable recipe card, see the recipe card below.
Ingredients
- Basic baking staples: unbleached all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, active dry yeast, whole milk, egg, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar for dusting.
- Dried fruit: golden and dark raisins. Choose good-quality fruit for the best texture and flavor.
- Candied citron (cedro): if unavailable, use candied orange or lemon peel, or a tablespoon of finely grated lemon zest.
- Dark rum or brandy: used to soak the fruit; substitutes like bourbon or brandy work well too.
- Spices and extracts: ground cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg, seeds from a vanilla bean, plus a touch of almond extract.
- Whole blanched almonds: chopped roughly for texture.
- Marzipan: either store-bought or homemade, formed into a log and wrapped inside the dough.
Instructions
Make the sponge: scald the milk, cool to lukewarm, then whisk it with flour, yeast, sugar, and the egg to form a smooth batter. Cover and let it rise until it has doubled and then collapsed, about 2 hours.
Work in butter, sugar, spices, vanilla seeds, almond extract, and salt. Beat until well combined, then stir in the soaked fruit, any remaining soaking liquid, and the chopped almonds. Add additional flour and knead until the dough is smooth.
Let the dough rise: cover and leave until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
Shape the stollen: pat the dough into a 12-inch oval, place a 11-inch marzipan log along the center, fold the dough over the marzipan and form the traditional stollen shape.
Proof the shaped loaf on a lined baking sheet, covered, until it has risen by about half, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) until golden and cooked through, about 30–40 minutes. While still warm, brush with melted butter and dust liberally with powdered sugar. Cool fully before slicing.
Substitutions
- Rum – swap for brandy or bourbon if preferred.
- Raisins – use currants, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots instead.
- Candied citron – substitute candied orange or lemon peel, or a little grated lemon zest.
- Spices – replace or combine cardamom with cinnamon, mixed spice, or mace to match your taste.
Top Tips
- Soak the dried fruit overnight (or up to several days) in rum or brandy to keep the stollen moist and flavorful.
- Use fresh yeast where possible; if the sponge doesn’t become frothy, the yeast may be inactive and should be replaced.
- Watch the dough rather than the clock: rising times vary with room temperature. Create a warm, humid spot if your kitchen is cool to help the dough rise.
- Aim to avoid overbaking—the loaf should be tender inside, not dry.
Serving Suggestions
Serve stollen slices as a dessert or with morning coffee or tea. It pairs beautifully with other holiday treats and makes a thoughtful wrapped gift. For the best texture, slice with a sharp serrated knife about 1/2-inch thick.
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Christmas Stollen
Ingredients
Fruit:
- ¾ cup golden and dark raisins
- ¼ cup chopped candied citron
- ¼ cup (60ml) dark rum or brandy
Sponge:
- ¾ cups (180ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 package (2¼ teaspoons or 7 grams) active dried yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
Dough:
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, very soft
- ⅓ cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar
- ¾ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup blanched whole almonds, chopped
- 1 ½ cups (187 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces (170 grams) marzipan
- 2 ounces (½ stick or 60 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
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Soak fruit: the night before (or 2–3 days ahead) combine raisins, candied citron, and rum in a bowl. Stir occasionally and leave at room temperature to plump and soak.
To make the sponge
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Scald the milk until steaming and let it cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, whisk flour with yeast and sugar, add the milk and whisk to a smooth batter, then add the egg and whisk. Cover and let rise until it doubles and collapses, about 2 hours.
To make the dough
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Beat in butter a little at a time. Add sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla seeds, almond extract, and salt; beat for several minutes. Stir in the soaked fruit with any unabsorbed liquor and the chopped almonds. Switch to a dough hook and gradually add the remaining flour, kneading until smooth. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
To shape the stollen
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Shape the marzipan into a log about 11 inches (28 cm) long.
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Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 12-inch (30 cm) oval. Place the marzipan in the center and fold one side of dough over to fully encase the marzipan, then fold the other side slightly over. Transfer to a lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise until increased in volume by about half, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the stollen for 30–40 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through.
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When it comes from the oven, cool 5 minutes, poke the loaf with a toothpick to help butter absorb, then brush generously with melted butter and sift powdered sugar over the top. Repeat the sugar dusting if it melts in spots. Cool completely on a wire rack and add more powdered sugar before serving if desired.
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Storing: you can eat the stollen immediately or age it for up to two weeks. Wrap tightly in plastic and then foil; keep in a cool place to develop flavor. Slice into ½-inch pieces to serve.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate generated by a calculator. For accurate values, calculate nutrition based on the specific ingredients and brands you use.