Traditional German Christmas Stollen

Welcome to the Christmas kitchen at Sharp Blades!  Nothing compares to the smell of traditional Christmas baking entering your home as the holiday season draws near.  German stollen is a delicious, fruit-filled bread that has been a staple of European Christmas tables for centuries. Today, we're providing a traditional recipe for it.  Packed with candied fruits, almonds, and a hint of marzipan, this buttery, slightly sweet loaf is more than simply a treat—it's a delicious piece of Christmas history.  This Stollen recipe will become a treasured part of your Christmas traditions, whether it's served as a rich dessert or with a cup of coffee on a chilly morning.  Additionally, you can easily achieve the ideal dough consistency with your Sharp Blades precision tools!

Ingredients:
For the Fruit & Nut Mixture:
1 cup (150g) mixed candied citrus peel
1 cup (150g) golden raisins
½ cup (75g) currants
½ cup (120ml) dark rum or brandy
⅔ cup (100g) slivered almonds, toasted
Zest of 1 lemon

For the Dough:
4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 tsp (7g) active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, lukewarm
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground mace or nutmeg

For Filling & Finishing:
7 oz (200g) marzipan
½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Necessary Utensils (Sharp Blades recommends!)
Sharp Blades Chef's Knife (for finely chopping candied peel)
Mixing Bowls (set of 3)
Stand mixer with dough hook (optional, but helpful)
Measuring cups and spoons
Silicone spatula
Pastry brush
Parchment paper
Wire cooling rack
Baking sheet

Preparation Time: 
Two hours (or overnight) for soaking
Raising the dough took two hours in total—one hour for the first rise and another for the second.
40 minutes for active preparation
50 to 60 minutes for baking
Two hours for cooling and dusting
7.5 hours total (mainly inactive)

Comprehensive Guide to Preparation:
Macerate the Fruits:
Put the raisins, currants, and candied citrus peel in a medium bowl the night before (or at least two hours in advance).  Make sure the fruit is completely submerged when you pour the rum or brandy over it.  The fruits will swell up beautifully if you cover them and let them sit.

To prepare the dough:
Combine three and a half cups of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cardamom, and mace in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Put the dough hook on.  Add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla extract, and lukewarm milk to the mixer on low speed.  Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.
If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour a tablespoon at a time while kneading on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes.  When the dough is elastic, smooth, and pulls away from the bowl's sides, it's done.
Save any remaining liquid after draining the soaked fruits.  Chop the almonds roughly with your Sharp Blades chef's knife.  To evenly distribute the drained fruits, toasted almonds, and lemon zest, gently incorporate them into the dough by hand.

First Rise: 
Transfer the dough to a large basin that has been lightly oiled and turn to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap or a moist kitchen towel.  Allow it to rise for around one hour, or until it has nearly doubled in size, in a warm, draft-free environment.

To form the stollen:
punch down the risen dough and place it on a surface dusted with flour.  Roll it into a 10 x 12-inch oval that is about ¾-inch thick with a rolling pin.
Roll the marzipan into a log that is around oval in length.  Put it lengthwise down the middle of the dough.
Cover roughly two-thirds of the oval by folding one long side of the dough over the marzipan.  Next, slightly fold the opposite side over to form the traditional Stollen shape, which has a tapering, off-center "ridge."  To seal, lightly press.

Second Rise & Bake: 
Gently move the loaf to a parchment paper-lined baking pan.  Let it rise for an additional hour with a light covering.
Set the oven temperature to 350°F, or 175°C.
The Stollen should be deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom after 50 to 60 minutes of baking.  Tent it with aluminium foil if it browns too rapidly.

The Final Touch: 
Apply a thick layer of melted butter to the Stollen as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Next, sift a generous amount of confectioners' sugar on top while it's still warm.  Allow it to cool fully on a wire rack.  Before slicing, let it cool for at least one or two days by carefully wrapping it in foil or plastic wrap.  
The flavours can completely merge and mature during this "ripening" period.

Nutritional Information (Per Slice, based on 20 slices)
Calories: 320 kcal
Carbs: 45g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 13g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 25g
Note: Nutritional values are estimates and can vary based on specific ingredients used.

Expert Advice for the Ideal Stollen: 
"Let your stollen age for the best flavour and texture."  Wrap your cooled Stollen in foil and keep it in a cool, dark location for one to two weeks before to Christmas for a genuine experience.  The bread becomes deliciously soft and the flavours develop throughout this resting period. This is the recipe for a classic German Christmas stollen that tastes exactly like the ones found at a Dresden Christmas market.  Use a Sharp Blades serrated bread knife to thinly slice it for consistently clean, flawless pieces. For a holiday baking blog, are you looking for more simple foreign Christmas recipes?  For additional culinary ideas, check out our blog at Sharp Blades!