Stollen is a German fruit bread traditionally beloved during Christmas. Its history dates to the 14th century with a simple bread made with flour, oats, and water due to strict Advent fasting rules imposed by the Catholic Church prohibiting the use of butter and milk.

In 1490, Prince Elector Ernst of Saxony and his brother Duke Albrecht successfully petitioned Pope Innocent VIII to allow the use of butter during Advent, resulting in the “Butter Letter” (Butterbrief).

By the 16th century, Dresden, Germany, became particularly famous for its stollen, with bakers crafting elaborate versions enriched with butter, sugar, spices, dried fruits, and nuts—known today as Dresdner Christstollen. Dresdner Stollen is protected by European Union law, meaning authentic Dresdner Stollen can only be made by designated bakers in Dresden using specific recipes and techniques.

Over the years, Ralph often spoke fondly of his mother Marion’s version of stollen and had saved a copy of her recipe that he hand wrote. This past year, he decided to finally make it for Christmas and share it with his brother and family during our holiday gathering.

His brother shared that their mom began making stollen in the summer, allowing it to dry out to a more firm consistency before Christmas. She also adapted her recipe by using cottage cheese, as she was living in Canada and didn’t have access to Quark. Ralph followed this tradition and adjusted the recipe shared below.

Stollen is especially delicious with a thick layer of butter spread on top and eaten while drinking espresso. It also works beautifully on your brunch table any day of the year.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 500g flour
• 3 Tbsp baking powder
• 200g sugar
• 1 pkg vanilla sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 125g butter, softened
• 50g coconut oil or butter
• 2 eggs
• 250g Quark (or cottage cheese if you live outside of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)
• 125g currants
• 2 tbsp rum or orange juice (to soak the currants)
• 125g raisins
• 40g candied citrus peel (orange or lemon)
• 125g ground almonds or hazelnuts
• 4 drops of almond rum
• Grated zest from 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of nutmeg, cardamom

For the topping:

• 2 Tbsp melted butter or coconut oil
• Powdered sugar, QB

Instructions

Prepare the filling:

• Soak the currants in rum or orange juice for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Drain and set aside. (Ralph added this step as the currants on the outside burned. You can also soak the raisins, too.)

Make the dough:

• Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, eggs, Quark (or cottage cheese), and filling ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Ralph used a KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Shape the dough into an oval.

Bake:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the Stollen on a greased cookie sheet or one lined with baking paper. Bake on the top rack for 75 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Finish:

• Brush the hot stollen generously with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle or sift powdered sugar over the top. Repeat with additional powdered sugar for a thick coating.

Tip:

• If the dough looks too moist or sticky, add more flour and ground almonds until consistency feels better and no longer sticks to your hands.