Christmas Stollen

Learn how to make Stollen, a traditional German Christmas Bread. This is our first recipe that is not sourdough as it is a sweet bread and is normally made using yeast. This recipe makes 6 Stollen and they can be kept for a week or frozen and then brought out on Christmas Day.

Unit size	500g (17.637oz)
Number of loaves	6
Total flour	933g (32.911oz)

Sponge – Ingredients

Ingredients	Measurements
Dried Yeast	pinch
Bakers Flour	373g (13.164oz)
Milk	373g (13.164oz)
	*746g (26.328oz)

 

Add dried yeast to the milk and stir to mix and leave for a few minutes. Add the milk to the flour and mix until the flour is fully hydrated. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rest for 18 hours.

Fermentation Time	18 hours
Required Dough Temperature	20°C (68°F)

Roast Blanched Almonds

Ingredient	Weight
Blanched Almonds	93g (3.291oz)

 

Place blanched almonds on baking tray which has been covered with baking paper and roast in oven at 210°C (410°F) for 5-10 mins until golden.

Soak Fruit

Ingredient	Weight
Mixed Peel	47g (1.646oz)
Currants	93g (3.291oz)
Sultanas	280g (9.873oz)
Raisins	411g (14.481oz)
Sweet White Wine	9g (.329oz)
Rum	2g (0.066oz)

 

Add ingredients to a bowl and you can be generous with the wine. Leave to soak for at least 30 mins and place in a colander to removed excess juice before you add it to the dough.

Prepare Butter

Ingredient	Weight
Unsalted butter	327g (11.519oz)

Cut butter into cubes and leave to soften.

Final Dough – Ingredients

Ingredients	Measurements
Bakers Flour	560g (19.746oz)
Sponge	747g (26.342oz)
Fruit and nuts	935g (32.976oz)
Butter	327g (11.519oz)
Dried Yeast	33g (1.172oz)
Diastatic Malt	2g (0.082oz)
Sea salt	9g (0.329oz)
Sugar	112g (3.949oz)
Eggs	75g (2.633oz) – 2 eggs
Milk	224g (7.899oz)
Orange Blossom Water	28g (0.987oz)
Mixed Spice	5g (0.165oz)
Lemon Zest	Zest from 1 lemon
Orange Zest	Zest from 1 orange
Marzipan (if you have a sweet tooth)	88g(3.104oz) per loaf
	3057g (107.799oz)

 

Dough to Oven Time	2 hours 30 mins
Bulk Fermentation Time	1 hour
Intermediate Proof Time	30 mins
Final Proof Time	1 hour
Baking Temperature and Time	Preheat oven to  for 40 mins to ensure stone is hot. Bake at 190°C (374°F) for 20-25 mins turning around and letting paper slide onto stone after 10 mins.

 

Basic steps for final dough

1. Put the fruit in a colander to let the excess liquid drain out.
2. Weigh and add flour to bowl.
3. Weigh and add diastatic malt to the bowl.
4. Add sponge to the bowl.
5. Weigh and add salt to the bowl.
6. Weigh and add sugar the bowl.
7. Add eggs to the bowl, for 75g we used 2 eggs.
8. Weigh and add orange blossom water.
9. Add dried yeast to the milk and leave to hydrate for a few minutes before adding to the bowl.
10. Add mixed spice to the bowl.
11. Add lemon and orange zest to the bowl.
12. Mix all of the ingredients until the flour is fully hydrated and then rest in the bowl for a few minutes.
13. Move dough to the bench and knead dough for 5-10 minutes.
14. Add the soft butter to the dough and knead dough for a 5-10 minutes and then leave to rest for a few minutes.
15. Spread the dough out and add the fruit and roasted blanched almonds and mix into dough.
16. When the fruit and nuts are incorporated into the dough, place it back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for the bulk fermentation time of 1 hour.
17. Heat oven on max for 40 mins or until your stone is ready.
18. Scale the dough into 6 500g(17.637oz) loaves and leave covered with a tea towel for the intermediate proof of 30 mins.
19. On a dusted bench shape each loaf into a rectangle shape and roll the top third of the rectangle to form the first mountain, place the marzipan which has been rolled into a log, on to the bottom third, roll the dough over the marzipan to cover and place this roll over the middle of the rectangle to form the top mountain. Watch how this is done on the video.
20. Place baking paper on a tray and place two stollens on the tray and bake for 20-25 mins at 190°C (374°F). Half way through the baking turn stollens around and place stollens and paper onto the stone.

Finishing Topping

Ingredient	Weight
Unsalted butter	100g (3.527oz)
Icing Sugar	100g (3.527oz)

 

Put butter on very low heat 10 mins before the bread comes out of the oven. As soon as the loaves are removed from the oven place them on a wire tray. Using a pastry brush paint the loaves with the melted butter and then sift the icing sugar over the loaves.

If you have our app then the alarms are worked out for you, here is an example of the schedule.

Time	Action
Friday 3 pm	Make sponge
Saturday 8 am	Roast blanched almonds
Saturday 8.30 am	Prepare fruit
Saturday 8.40 am	Prepare butter
Saturday 9 am	Mix final dough
Saturday 10.45 am	Scale loaves and round
Saturday 11.35 am	Prepare oven
Saturday 12.15 pm	Bake 2 loaves at 195°C (374°F), turn and slide loaves on to stone after 10 mins.
Saturday 12.35 pm	Check is if bread is ready
Saturday 12. 40 pm	Bake 2 loaves at 195°C (374°F), turn and slide loaves on to stone after 10 mins.
Saturday 1:00 pm	Check is if bread is ready
Saturday 1:05 pm	Bake 2 loaves at 195°C (374°F), turn and slide loaves on to stone after 10 mins.
Saturday 1:25 pm	Check is if bread is ready

Check out our Bread Boss app on iTunes and the Google Play Store for more recipes and the ability to create your own alarms and recipes: