Stollen is “fruit bread” that typically lurks in the darker corners of supermarket bakery departments until Christmas, when it emerges like a glorious butterfly to take its rightful place front and center in the bakery section.
- Kind of a dry fruit loaf
- Tastes better than that sounds
- Traditional at Christmas
- …served with mulled wine or punch (or just a coffee)
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What is a Stollen?
(Dusted and ready for consumption)
Think of a Stollen as the love child of a fruit cake and a loaf of bread: it’s typically baked from a yeasty dough (replete with dried fruit soaked in rum), then covered in icing sugar.
Like you’d expect, you eat a Stollen in slices, often with your coffee or Christmas punch. Some people put butter and jam on it.
As with just about every baked product in this part of the world, you find different varieties in Vienna. At Christmas, you often see marzipan, poppy seed or nut versions, though the kind with dried fruit remains the classic.
(Slicing reveals the dried fruit within)
Consider the Stollen an integral component of the Christmas bakery selection alongside Lebkuchen, Christmas biscuits and Spekulatius.
This delight has been part of that selection for centuries in central Europe. The earliest known written mention apparently involved an obligation placed on 14th-century bakers in Naumburg (just southwest of Leipzig) to deliver a Stollen or its equivalent to the local bishop at Christmas.
(Better than another pair of novelty socks.)
The Stollen now has many fans in the UK and USA, too, largely because you can make it quite easily. We bake them as seasonal gifts for friends and family each year; they last quite a few days in an airtight container.
How do you say Stollen?
At first glance, Stollen seems an easy word to say in Austrian-flavoured German – “stoll” to rhyme with “doll” (British English) and an “en” like in “burden” (ditto).
The “st” has a “shh” at the start though – “shhtollen”.
FAQs
The shape of Stollen-- this fold-over dough with a white top layer-- is symbolic of baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths. It started as a fasting cake made during Advent when people couldn't use butter, milk, or fruits (due to fasting rules) so it started as a very plain bread.
What does stollen mean in German? ›
Stollen (German: [ˈʃtɔlən] or German: [ʃtɔln]) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread.
Why is stollen so expensive? ›
Expensive ingredients like almonds, nuts, raisins, orange peel, essence of rose and rum were imported. Because the coronation occurred during the Christmas season, the bakers shaped the loaves to resemble a baby in swaddling clothes in respect for the Christ Child. Ask any baker: Stollen is a labor of love.
What is the Christmas stollen supposed to symbolize? ›
Christmas classic: the stollen
Oblong in shape and sprinkled with icing sugar, the shape of the traditional German Christmas stollen symbolizes the Child Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. In Germany, the stollen is as much a part of Christmastide as Christmas markets and Christmas trees.
Why do we eat stollen at Christmas? ›
Stollen also has religious symbolism, with the loaf of bread symbolising Christ's body. It represents the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling garments by being coated with powdered sugar. As a result, it is also known as Christ Stollen or Christstollen.
Do Jews eat stollen? ›
The resulting product, called stollen in it's most generic form, was originally of Jewish origin, and was eaten throughout the Hanukkah season.
What do Germans drink with stollen? ›
8 great wine and other matches for Stollen
- Coffee. ...
- Schnapps. ...
- Spätlese, auslese or beerenauslese riesling. ...
- Dark rum. ...
- Pineau de Charentes* ...
- Cognac and other oak-aged brandies such as armagnac or Spanish brandy. ...
- Marsala dolce. ...
- Amaretto.
If stored in a cool and dry place such as a bread box or drawer, your stollen will last for months.
Is stollen just for Christmas? ›
Stollen is really an all-purpose holiday treat. You could pull it out after a meal for a festive punctuation to supper when you don't want something too sweet.
Is stollen fattening? ›
Stollen is basically a yeast-based fruit cake with lots of sugar, butter, raisins, rum aroma and powdered sugar. Traditionally there is also high fructose corn sirup involved, so not exactly what you would call a healthy treat (but pretty delicious tbh).
In Germany, fruitcakes (known as Stollen) don't quite resemble their American counterparts. Fruitcake vs. Stollen: Flattened with a chewy crust, Stollen is often baked more like a traditional loaf of sourdough bread.
Do you eat stollen hot or cold? ›
Do You Eat Stollen Hot or Cold? Stollen is traditionally served cold and for breakfast, but it can also be served warm and slightly toasted, whichever you prefer. Spread some butter or cheese on it for a delicious treat.
What is the difference between panettone and stollen? ›
Panettone typically contains candied orange peel and raisins; traditional stollen had candied lemon peel and dried cherries as well. The extra fruit and sometimes even a layer of marzipan, plus added milk and flour, contribute to the compact shape of classic stollen versus the loftier panettone.
How do Germans eat stollen? ›
Think of a Stollen as the love child of a fruit cake and a loaf of bread: it's typically baked from a yeasty dough (replete with dried fruit soaked in rum), then covered in icing sugar. Like you'd expect, you eat a Stollen in slices, often with your coffee or Christmas punch. Some people put butter and jam on it.
What are some fun facts about Stollen? ›
Stollen History
The Bishop enjoyed the stollen so much that he ordered a quantity of grain saved for stollen only. Stollen at that time were baked in loaves weighing 30 pounds. Stollen became such a part of Dresdeners' lives that it was cut and served with special, stollen only utensils.
Is stollen German or Dutch? ›
As a traditional German fruitcake with a profound history, it's no wonder that there are as many variations of stollen as there are people who make it. This version includes a rich filling of almond paste (or marzipan), which adds to the decadence of the bread-like cake.
Is Stollen just for Christmas? ›
Stollen is really an all-purpose holiday treat. You could pull it out after a meal for a festive punctuation to supper when you don't want something too sweet.
