Description
A traditional German-style stollen made with a tangy sourdough starter, enriched with dried fruits, candied citrus peel, and warm spices. This festive bread is rich, lightly sweetened, and perfect for holiday celebrations, offering a soft crumb with a fragrant aroma and a dusting of powdered sugar for a classic finish.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 100g active sourdough starter
- 400g bread flour
- 150ml milk, lukewarm
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 75g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Mix-ins
- 150g dried fruit mix (raisins, currants, chopped dried apricots)
- 50g candied citrus peel, chopped
- 50g almonds, chopped
Finishing
- 50g unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Mix dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the active sourdough starter, lukewarm milk, bread flour, sugar, egg, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until the ingredients come together to form a rough dough.
- Knead in butter: Gradually knead the softened butter into the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, which may take about 10 minutes by hand or 5-7 minutes using a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Add mix-ins: Gently fold the dried fruit mix, candied citrus peel, and chopped almonds into the dough, making sure they are evenly distributed.
- First rise: Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes puffy and slightly doubled in size, approximately 3 to 4 hours depending on room temperature.
- Shape loaf: On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a traditional stollen loaf form, which is an oblong shape with a slight bulge on one side.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the shaped dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the stollen is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Brush and dust: Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush the loaf with melted butter. Then generously dust the entire loaf with powdered sugar to create the iconic snowy finish.
- Cool and rest: Allow the stollen to cool completely on a wire rack. For best flavor, let it rest overnight wrapped in foil or plastic wrap before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Flavor and texture improve when the stollen is rested overnight after baking.
- Store the stollen wrapped tightly in foil or plastic wrap to keep it fresh for up to 5 days.
- You can substitute almonds with other nuts like walnuts or pecans if preferred.
- Use fresh active sourdough starter for best results; discard or feed if inactive.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter and milk with plant-based alternatives.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
