December 16 – Christmas treat: A simple recipe for traditional stollen

The secret of the perfect traditional stollen

The Advent season is just around the corner, and with it the scent of cinnamon, almonds and traditional stollen. But how do you make this pastry so that it achieves the perfect balance between moist filling, tender crumb and aromatic spice? Here is a tried and tested recipe that combines tradition and simple enjoyment.

Ingredients (for approx. 2 medium-sized stollen):

For the dough:

• 500 g flour (preferably freshly ground with a Salzburg grain mill)
• 100 g sugar
• 1 sachet of dry yeast (or 25 g fresh yeast)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 ml lukewarm milk
• 200 g soft butter
• 1 egg (size M)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

For the filling:

• 150 g raisins (soaked in rum or orange juice)
• 100 g chopped almonds
• 100 g candied lemon peel
• 100 g candied orange peel

For the finish:

• 100 g melted butter
• 100 g powdered sugar

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Make the pre-dough:
   • Pour the milk into a bowl, dissolve the yeast in it and add a tablespoon of sugar and two tablespoons of flour.
   • Cover the bowl and leave the pre-dough to rise for about 15 minutes until it starts to bubble.
2. Prepare the dough:
   • Mix the flour, sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.
   • Add the softened butter, the egg and the starter dough. Knead everything into a smooth dough, preferably by hand or with a dough hook.
   • Knead until the dough is no longer sticky and can be easily shaped.
3. Incorporate the filling:
   • Fold the raisins, candied lemon peel, candied orange peel and chopped almonds into the dough. Make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Leave the dough to rest:
   • Cover the dough and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1-1.5 hours until it has doubled in volume.
5. Shape and bake:
   • Knead the dough briefly after the rising time and divide it into two portions.
   • Shape each piece of dough into an oval flatbread and fold one side in towards the center to create the typical stollen shape.
   • Place the stollen on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rest for another 30 minutes.
   • Bake the stollen in a preheated oven at 180 °C (top/bottom heat) for around 50-60 minutes.
6. The perfect finish:
   • Brush the warm stollen generously with melted butter immediately after baking and dust thickly with powdered sugar.
   • Once cooled, wrap the stollen in aluminum foil and leave to rest for at least a week. This allows the flavors to develop perfectly!

Conclusion

A stollen requires a little patience, but rewards you with an incomparably Christmassy taste experience. With your Salzburg grain mill, you can freshly grind the flour for your stollen and give it a particularly fine flavor. Happy baking and a contemplative Christmas season!

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