Easy Stollen Bread Recipe (2024)

Easy Stollen Bread Recipe (1)

Today I’m making one of my favorite Christmas baking treats the Stollen Bread. This easy Stollen Bread recipe doesn’t require any yeast, instead we’re going to use farmer’s cheese, which helps make a moist holiday bread.

The recipe calls for a mix of dried fruits and orange candied peel. You can buy it on Amazon, find it in your local stores or use my tutorial Candied Orange Peel Recipe to make it yourself.

This recipe gives you the freedom to make two large Christmas bread loaves or, like me, you can make three smaller stollen’s ready to give away to your guests as they come and go over the holiday period.

For my Stollen bread I’ll use the candied orange peel, dried cranberries, golden and black raisins, chopped almonds and walnuts. I’m also going to use orange juice to soak the dried fruits but if you like to use alcohol, like rum or brandy to soak the fruits, you have that option.

Ingredients for the filling:

100g candied orange peel
100g dried cranberries
50g golden raisins
50g black raisins
50g chopped almonds
50g chopped walnuts
100 ml orange juice

Ingredients for the dough:

500g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
200g softened butter
150g sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
250g farmer’s cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp lemon zest

Ingredients for the topping:

50g melted butter
100g powdered sugar

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Step 1

Start by placing the orange peel, dried cranberries and both types of raisins in a mixing bowl. Then cover them with orange juice and mix well.

Easy Stollen Bread Recipe (2)

You can do it a night before making the dough or you can place the bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, mix it again and let them sit for 15-20 minutes. The fruits will absorb the juice and soften. Then place the soaked dry fruits in the sieve and drain the remaining liquid.

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Step 2

In a large mixing bowl combine the softened butter and sugar with orange and lemon zest. Using a hand mixer, whisk the ingredients together for about one minute. Scribe the sides of the bowl.

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Step 3

Add the eggs, vanilla extract and whisk again.

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Step 4

Next, add the farmer’s cheese and whisk again. You can use store-bought farmer’s cheese or make it yourself, by watching my video tutorial Farmers Cheese Recipe.

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Next, add the salt, baking powder and half of the flour. Using a spatula or a spoon, mix the ingredients together. Add the dry fruits and the nuts and mix again.

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Step 5

Place a good amount of flour onto your work surface and place the dough in the middle. Cover it with more flour and start kneading the dough, adding the rest of the flour as needed. The dough should turn out soft and slightly sticky.

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Step 6

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Slightly dust the work surface with the flour, place one of the pieces on top and with your hands make a rectangle shape about an inch thick. Then using the edge of your palm, press down lightly to create an indentation about a third of the way over, creating two sections. Then fold one-third of the dough over to the middle, slightly pressing on top.

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Step 7

Transfer the formed stollen into a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Teflon sheet and bake at 350°F degrees (180°C) for 50-60 minutes, depends on the size of your loaves. In the meantime, melt the butter and prepare the powdered sugar to finish our Stollen bread. When the loaves are baked, generously brush them with the melted butter while they are still hot. Then, immediately sprinkle them with a good amount of powdered sugar and let the stollen breads cool completely.

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You can wrap the loaves with parchment paper and decorate it with twin and cinnamon stick with a piece of dried orange, and give it as an independent sweet Christmas gift, or it can be a part of a Gift Cookie Box, that will make an unforgettable, delicious Christmas present for your loved ones. You can also make the Stollen a couple of weeks in advance, wrap the bread tightly with parchment paper and foil, and keep it in a cool place. Stollen bread can also be frozen for longer storage.

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Without a doubt, a slice of freshly baked Stollen bread is heavenly good with a cup of coffee. You can also serve it with butter, honey, or jam.

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Make sure to watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions and see how I make this Easy Stollen Bread Recipe! Want new recipe updates? Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

Tips for Making Stollen Bread without Yeast

  • You can substitute the dry fruits and nuts in this recipe for the same amount of whatever type you like.
  • Use store-bought or homemade Candied Orange Peel.
  • Soak the dried fruits overnight or place the bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and let them sit for 15-20 minutes.
  • For the alcohol version, use brandy or rum.
  • Use store-bought or Homemade Farmer’s Cheese.
  • This recipe gives you the freedom to make two large Christmas bread loaves, or like me, you can make three smaller stollen’s ready to give away to your guests as they come and go over the holidays.

How to Store Stollen Bread without Yeast

  • You can make the Stollen a couple of weeks in advance, wrap the bread tightly with parchment paper and foil and keep it in a cool place.
  • Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.

PIN FOR LATER

Easy Stollen Bread Recipe (13)

This easy Stollen recipe doesn’t require any yeast, instead we’re going to use farmer’s cheese, which helps make a moist holiday bread.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 100 g candied orange peel
  • 100 g dried cranberries
  • 50 g golden raisins
  • 50 g black raisins
  • 50 g chopped almonds
  • 50 g chopped walnuts
  • 100 ml orange juice

Ingredients for the dough:

  • 500 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 200 g softened butter
  • 150 g sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 250 g farmer’s cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

Ingredients for the topping:

  • 50 g melted butter
  • 100 g powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Start by placing the orange peel, dried cranberries and both types of raisins in a mixing bowl. Then cover them with orange juice and mix well.

    You can do it a night before making the dough or you can place the bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, mix it again and let them sit for 15-20 minutes. The fruits will absorb the juice and soften. Then place the soaked dry fruits in the sieve and drain the remaining liquid.

  • In a large mixing bowl combine the softened butter and sugar with orange and lemon zest. Using a hand mixer, whisk the ingredients together for about one minute. Scribe the sides of the bowl.

  • Add the eggs, vanilla extract and whisk again.

  • Next, add the farmer’s cheese and whisk again. Next, add the salt, baking powder and half of the flour. Using a spatula or a spoon, mix the ingredients together. Add the dry fruits and the nuts and mix again.

  • Place a good amount of flour onto your work surface and place the dough in the middle. Cover it with more flour and start kneading the dough, adding the rest of the flour as needed. The dough should turn out soft and slightly sticky.

  • Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Slightly dust the work surface with the flour, place one of the pieces on top and with your hands make a rectangle shape about an inch thick. Then using the edge of your palm, press down lightly to create an indentation about a third of the way over, creating two sections. Then fold one-third of the dough over to the middle, slightly pressing on top.

  • Transfer the formed stollen into a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Teflon sheet and bake at 350°F degrees (180°C) for 50-60 minutes, depends on the size of your loaves.

    In the meantime, melt the butter and prepare the powdered sugar to finish our Stollen bread. When the loaves are baked, generously brush them with the melted butter while they are still hot. Then, immediately sprinkle them with a good amount of powdered sugar and let the stollen breads cool completely.

Notes

Tips for Making Stollen Bread without Yeast

  • You can substitute the dry fruits and nuts in this recipe for the same amount of whatever type you like.
  • Use store-bought or homemade Candied Orange Peel.
  • Soak the dried fruits overnight or place the bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and let them sit for 15-20 minutes.
  • For the alcohol version, use brandy or rum.
  • Use store-bought or Homemade Farmer’s Cheese.
  • This recipe gives you the freedom to make two large Christmas bread loaves, or like me, you can make three smaller stollen’s ready to give away to your guests as they come and go over the holidays.

How to Store Stollen Bread without Yeast

  • You can make the Stollen a couple of weeks in advance, wrap the bread tightly with parchment paper and foil and keep it in a cool place.
  • Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.

You may also like:

Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Wreath Bread

Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Easy Stollen Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade 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.

How do you keep stollen moist? ›

Make sure to cover your bread in plastic food wrap to ensure it stays moist. On the other hand, if you want to keep your Stollen for longer than that, for example a year then it is safe to freeze. Our Stollen is made with only fresh ingredients and does not contain any preservatives.

Why is Christmas stollen so expensive? ›

Expensive ingredients like almonds, nuts, raisins, orange peel, essence of rose and rum were imported. Because the coronation occurred during the Christmas season, the bakers shaped the loaves to resemble a baby in swaddling clothes in respect for the Christ Child. Ask any baker: Stollen is a labor of love.

What does stollen mean in German? ›

Stollen (German: [ˈʃtɔlən] or German: [ʃtɔln]) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread.

How do Germans eat stollen? ›

Think of a Stollen as the love child of a fruit cake and a loaf of bread: it's typically baked from a yeasty dough (replete with dried fruit soaked in rum), then covered in icing sugar. 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.

Does stollen always have marzipan? ›

This amazing recipe makes 4 stollens, all about 800 grams – enough for the winter! I do not use marzipan in my stollen, but plenty of people do. Marzipan is optional.

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.

What do you eat with stollen? ›

Cook it. Serve sliced with good coffee, spreading on butter if it seems too dry. It can't be toasted, but a very light microwaving, so it is just warmed, can be very rewarding because the spices are energised to share their fragrances.

Should stollen bread be refrigerated? ›

No, generally you do not need to refrigerate or freeze your stollen. If you will not be eating the bread for a few months, you may want to store it in the freezer. Otherwise, storing your stollen at room temperature in a bread box or drawer will allow it to last for months.

What is the best dark rum for stollen? ›

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.

Does Entenmann's make stollen? ›

Entenmann's Fruit Stollen | Packaged Sweets & Desserts | Foodtown.

What is the most famous Stollen? ›

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.

Why do Germans eat stollen? ›

Germans baked stollen loaves at Christmas to honor princes and church dignitaries, and to sell at fairs and festivals for holiday celebrations. Early stollen loaves were made as bread without milk or butter because the Catholic church did not allow these ingredients during advent.

What do Germans eat with stollen? ›

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.

What is the difference between fruit cake and stollen? ›

The most obvious difference is in its shape. Stollen is formed in an oval to represent baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, contrary to the doughnut or untraditional loaf shape of a fruitcake. Additionally, stollen is much less dense than fruitcake, though it does contain similar candied fruits and nuts.

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