A Modern Take on the Classic Stollen Bread Recipe

I started making Stollen bread a few years back when I found Ryan Patrick’s tutorial on Youtube. If any of my instructions don’t make sense, check out his video. I’m a visual learner too so I won’t be insulted. Just leave me a comment about what parts were hard to follow. I’ll send some baked goods in the mail to the first person to comment with a suggestion about what was hard to follow.* Anyway, this recipe is fun to make if you have a lazy day around your home. It will take some time and hopefully you have the mincemeat ready, more on that below. Let’s get started!

Stollen Dough Notes

The dough recipe I use is slightly different from the one in Ryan Patrick’s video. I use the same demi-brioche for the stollen as the hot cross buns. I like using this dough as it has a subtly sweet flavor, comes together easily, and isn’t super dense. This is helpful for when you’re adding in the fruit and nuts and want to keep the bread “light.”

Bring the butter out and slice into half-inch pieces and set aside. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix to combine. Add the eggs and milk and mix on low to medium speed for 8-10 minutes. The dough will start to pull away from the side of the bowl when ready. Periodically scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the flour gets incorporated into the dough.

Once the dough has medium gluten development, begin adding the butter. With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time. Wait for each piece of butter to incorporate before adding the next. The softer the butter is, the quicker this step will go. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, continue to mix and develop the gluten. When the dough passes the windowpane test you’re good to start the first proof. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and proof for one hour. This is to start the development of the dough. When the fruit and nuts are added, the dough can continue to rise more easily.

Stollen Bread Dough Notes

While the dough is proofing, toast the nuts. Add the nuts to a dry frying pan and toast the nuts until fragrant and slightly browned. Stir the nuts while toasting to ensure all sides of all of the nuts are toasted.

Once the nuts are toasted, add them to the fruit mincemeat and stir to combine.

After one hour has passed, transfer the dough back to the stand mixer and add the mincemeat mixture to the dough. Using the dough hook, knead until the mixture is incorporated into the dough. Transfer the dough back to an oiled bowl, cover, and proof for another hour.

Stollen Dough Shaping

While the dough is proofing, prepare the almond paste. A traditional stollen calls for Marzipan but I find almond paste easier to make and get the texture right. The details for the almond paste can be found here. You can use almond flour instead of almonds for the almond paste, it will require more water to get the consistency right. Once the almond paste is ready, divide it into four equal pieces and roll into a cylinder. Wrap the pieces in cling film and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Once an hour has passed and the dough has risen, punch down and turn out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rough rectangle and place seam side down for a few minutes to rest. This is to allow the dough to rest and the gluten to relax since it was just worked.

Take one piece of dough and flip it over. Press the dough down to make an indent in the middle. Take a cylinder of almond paste from the fridge and place in the indent. Fold the dough over the top of the almond paste and place seam side down on a floured tea towel.

Create a wall between loaves with the floured tea towels. This is to encourage the dough to rise up, not out. This will help the stollen bread not look like a pancake when done. Repeat with the other three loaves. Cover and let the loaves proof for two hours.

Stollen Bread Baking Notes

Carefully transfer the loaves to a lined baking tray. The recipe calls for an egg wash on the loaves prior to baking. This isn’t necessary since a rum glaze and powdered sugar will be added to the loaves prior to serving. But feel free to use it if you like. Regardless, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a roasting pan in the bottom of the oven during preheating. The loaves require steam during baking so have a few cups of boiling water ready. Place the loaves in the center of the oven. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan at the bottom of the oven. Close the oven door and bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown.

While the stollen bread are baking, prepare the rum glaze. Combine the rum, sugar, and water in a pan. Over low heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a low boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the loaves from the oven and immediately brush with the rum glaze. Apply the glaze liberally and apply several coats. Let the loaves of stollen bread cool completely in the pans. Dust the loaves generously with powdered sugar and serve.