Original Dresdner Stollen – Christmas Bread

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Learn today how to make Original Dresdner Stollen which is a traditional Christmas cake in Germany since centuries,  and this is an authentic German recipe. The “Dresdner Stollen” is popular all over the world.  This German cake has its own history. Have you ever asked yourself what it is actually symbolizing?

The form of the Stollen  is supposed to symbolize the baby in the cradle, wrapped in linen. The Stollen recipe was created in Sachsen (Saxon). The making of the Stollen needs more attention than a regular dough done with yeast.
You need to use all ingredients as listed, don’t change the measures or ingredients. Important seems the fact that you won’t using the ingredients directly out of the fridge. The ingredients need to be kept at room temperature, and some even bring them the evening before they bake, into a warmer room.

Don’t forget it is a winter recipe and in Europe many rooms of a home used to be cold during the winter season due to low temperature and bad heating. Of course this has changed, still the recipe is based upon these facts. Happy Baking!

Ingredients Original Dresdner Stollen

1 kg flour (8 cups)
100 g fresh yeast or 2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 l milk
200 g sugar
450 g butter
zest of 1 lemon (organic)
1/2 tsp level cardamon and 1/2 level tsp mace
10 g salt
500 g raisins (organic, no sulfur)
150 g dried currants
Note: American products contain often chemicals such as high fructose syrup and preservatives. The best is the homemade variation: Find out how to make Orangeat and Citronat from scratch or get the German or all natural products.

150 g chopped raw almonds
30 g chopped bitter almonds or some drops of bitter almond oil
100 g butter
100g coarse sugar
2 packets vanilla sugar – 1.0 oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
125 g powdered sugar

Contains German Stollen

German Christmas Box from Lovegermanfood.com

Baking Instructions

All ingredients should have room temperature.
– Place flour into a baking bowl and make a mold in the middle.
– Add the crumbled yeast with 2 tbsp sugar and some milk into the mold.
– With some flour whisk it so you get a “starter dough”.
– Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and keep at a warm place for 40-50 minutes.

– Mix flour and starter dough with remaining milk and sugar, warm butter, lemon zest, spices and salt.
– Mix really good until the dough peels away from the inside bowl walls.
– Boil water and scald raisins, dry them on kitchen cloth or paper.
– Add raisins, currants, candied orange and lemon peel and almonds to the dough. Cut the candied peel into little pieces if needed.
– Knead everything thoroughly and form a ball.
– Cover again, let sit for 30-40 minutes, dough needs to rise significantly.

– Again knead the dough very thoroughly, let rise covered for another 30-40 minutes, then form it into a Stollen.
– Preheat oven to 190-200 degrees C (375-400 F).
– Grease a baking tray with butter, place Stollen on it.
– Bake for 70-90 minutes until the surface is golden brown. If the Stollen gets brown early cover it with aluminum foil or a sheet of greased parchment paper.
– When Stollen is done brush butter onto its surface.
– Sprinkle first with coarse sugar than with a mix of vanilla sugar and powdered sugar.

TIPS:
Let the stollen sit for at least 1 week – The best would be 3-4 weeks.
Keep the Stollen at a cool, dark and moist place. Wrap it into a linen cloth and keep it in a tin or wrapped with aluminum foil.
Will be good for up to 3 months.

BUTTER STOLLEN from WICKLEIN – HANDMADE – Find it Here –

Below is a video of a German bakery – the Bäckerei Ermer – where they make the Dresdner Stollen. This is in German but they don’t talk – just watch them making the most traditional Christmas cake of Germany. It’s very interesting.

Photosource Candied Peel