This high altitude recipe for homemade stollen is made with buttery yeast dough that’s studded with dried fruit and almonds, and flavored with hints of citrus, cinnamon and cardamom. Instead of powdered sugar on top, I finished the bread with sweet vanilla glaze, then decorated it with more dried fruit and nuts. This is the most beautiful bread to serve during the Christmas holiday.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for German apple cake, homemade cranberry raspberry sauce, and the best almond biscotti.
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What is Stollen?
Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread, also known as weihnachtsstollen or christstollen. The buttery yeast dough is usually flavored with cozy spices and studded with lots of dried fruit and almonds, although the texture is soft and fluffy, not dense like a fruit cake. It tends to be sweet, although there’s very little sugar added to the dough itself, so most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit and the powdered sugar on top.
To keep the bread moist, the dried fruit is soaked in liquid such as brandy or dark spiced rum, although I used orange juice for a non-alcoholic version. With the alcohol content, the bread can actually be baked several weeks in advance and left to “cure”, before being eaten. But I don’t know who could resist this bread when it’s warm from the oven. After baking it, my whole house smelled like cinnamon rolls.
Traditionally, stollen is shaped on a baking sheet, with a log of marzipan folded inside the dough before it’s baked into a rustic loaf of bread. Instead of using marzipan, I simply added some almond extract to my dough for more almond flavor and baked it in a ring shape by using a bundt pan.
Stollen is known for its snowy white blanket of powdered sugar that’s generously dusted over the top of the baked loaves. But I dare to be different, so instead of powdered sugar, I frosted mine with vanilla icing and decorated it with more dried fruit and almonds for a beautiful finish.
I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Flour. Use all purpose flour to give the bread structure and strength.
- Yeast. My preferred yeast for bread making is Red Star Platinum Premium Instant Yeast.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.
- Spices. You’ll need salt, cinnamon and cardamom, as well as vanilla extract and almond extract to add flavor to the bread.
- Egg. Adds moisture and strength to the dough.
- Butter. Stollen should be rich and buttery, and the butter will add moisture and flavor to the bread.
- Dried Fruit and Nuts. You’ll need almonds, as well as a mixture of dried fruit. I used apples, apricots, cranberries and crystallized ginger, which all complement each other beautifully. I recommend finding a container of whole pieces of crystallized ginger near the dried fruit, not the jars of pre-chopped crystallized ginger on the baking aisle. Traditionally, candied citrus peel is also added to stollen, but I left this out.
- Orange Juice. To re-hydrate the dried fruit and add moisture, I used orange juice, which gives the bread a subtle citrus flavor. Instead of orange juice, you can also use brandy or dark spiced rum.
- Powdered Sugar. You can just cover your stollen with copious amounts of powdered sugar, as is traditional. But I wanted to decorate my bread with more dried fruit and sliced almonds, which is why I used icing. The meringue powder in the icing helps it to set, instead of staying runny, and the heavy whipping cream keeps it thick and rich.
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine 3 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
- Add the warm water, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and the soft butter.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on medium low speed, gradually adding the remaining 3/4 cup of flour, until the dough is smooth and wraps around the dough hook. If kneading the dough by hand, knead it for about 10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Inside your oven with the “bread proof” setting turned on is best, if your kitchen is cold.
Fruit and Nut Mixture
- While the dough is rising, combine the chopped fruit with the orange juice (or rum or brandy). Warm it slightly on the stove or in the microwave, then let the fruit sit and soak up the liquid.
- After the bread dough has doubled in volume, add the liquid soaked fruit and the chopped almonds, and use a spatula to fold all the fruit and nuts into the dough. The dough will be sticky and a little damp.
Shaping the Dough
- Generously butter the inside of a bundt pan with a 12-cup capacity. Evenly press the dough into the pan.
- Set in a warm place to rise until the dough has reached the top edge of the pan, about 45-60 minutes. This bread doesn’t have much “oven spring”, so be patient and let the dough rise as much as it needs before baking.
- Traditionally, stollen is shaped into an oval on a baking sheet, filled with a rope of marzipan, then folded over the marzipan into a rustic log shape before baking.
Baking the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes, until a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the bread reads 195F.
- Turn the bread out onto a cooling rack, and let cool for 30 minutes before icing and decorating.
Icing
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Stir in the vanilla extract and the cream, until the icing is thick and smooth. Use a small offset icing spatula to “frost” the bread, spreading and swirling it over the top and sides.
- Before the icing sets, decorate the bread with plenty of chopped dried fruit and sliced almonds.
- This bread can be enjoyed warm from the oven, or at room temperature.
- For a more traditional finish instead of the icing, brush the warm bread with melted butter, then dust it with plenty of powdered sugar before serving.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Reheat leftover slices in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at 50% power, for a softer texture.
If you make your bread with rum or brandy, it’s traditional to make the bread a week or two in advance, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it sit and “cure” at room temperature, for a more complex flavor. The curing certainly isn’t mandatory, and the bread is wonderful when it’s freshly baked. If making the bread with orange juice instead of alcohol, the bread should not be cured, and can be enjoyed immediately.
If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast instead. To activate it, stir it into the warm water with a teaspoon of the sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly, then add to the dough and proceed with mixing the dough.
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Homemade High Altitude Stollen (German Christmas Bread)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 ¾ cups (17 oz) all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ cup warm water (between 110-115 F)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very soft
Fruit and Nut Mixture
- ½ cup chopped dried apples
- ½ cup chopped dried apricots
- ½ cup chopped crystallized ginger
- ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice, brandy or dark spiced rum
- ½ cup finely chopped almonds
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp meringue powder
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ – ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- chopped dried fruit and sliced almonds, for decorating
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine 3 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
- Add the warm water, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and the soft butter.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on medium low speed, gradually adding the remaining 3/4 cup of flour, until the dough is smooth and wraps around the dough hook. If kneading the dough by hand, knead it for about 10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Inside your oven with the "bread proof" setting turned on is best, if your kitchen is cold.
Fruit and Nut Mixture
- While the dough is rising, combine the chopped fruit with the orange juice (or rum or brandy). Warm it slightly on the stove or in the microwave, then let the fruit sit and soak up the liquid.
- After the bread dough has doubled in volume, add the liquid soaked fruit and the chopped almonds, and use a spatula to fold all the fruit and nuts into the dough. The dough will be sticky and a little damp.
Shaping the Dough
- Generously butter the inside of a bundt pan with a 12-cup capacity. Evenly press the dough into the pan.
- Set in a warm place to rise until the dough has reached the top edge of the pan, about 45-60 minutes. This bread doesn't have much "oven spring", so be patient and let the dough rise as much as it needs before baking.
- Traditionally, stollen is shaped into an oval on a baking sheet, filled with a rope of marzipan, then folded over the marzipan into a rustic log shape before baking.
Baking the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes, until a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the bread reads 195F.
- Turn the bread out onto a cooling rack, and let cool for 30 minutes before icing and decorating.
Icing
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Stir in the vanilla extract and the cream, until the icing is thick and smooth. Use a small offset icing spatula to "frost" the bread, spreading and swirling it over the top and sides.
- Before the icing sets, decorate the bread with plenty of chopped dried fruit and sliced almonds.
- This bread can be enjoyed warm from the oven, or at room temperature.
- For a more traditional finish instead of the icing, brush the warm bread with melted butter, then dust it with plenty of powdered sugar before serving.
OMG, this looks great! I plan to try it! Thanks so much!