The BEST Stollen Recipe
This is the BEST stollen recipe! A professional pastry chef gives you step-by-step instructions for a traditional stollen bread that is moist and flavorful. You can make this stollen recipe with or without marzipan!
Servings: 2 loaves
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 25 g Dry Active Yeast
- 110 g Whole milk
- 110 g All-purpose flour
Final Dough:
- 270 g Sponge
- 150 g Unsalted Butter unsalted, softened
- 45 g Granulated Sugar
- 230 g All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 35 g Candied Orange peel
- 225 g Raisins
- 50 g Whole Blanched Almonds
- 25 g Whole pecans
- 25 g Whole walnuts
- 7 oz Marzipan optional
- 1 Egg beaten for egg wash
- Unsalted Butter melted
- Granulated Sugar as needed
- Powdered Sugar as needed
Instructions
Sponge:
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, sprinkle with some of the flour from the final dough, cover and ferment 10-15 minutes. The sponge is ready when the flour on top cracks.
Dough:
- Up to a day ahead of time, combine the sugar and the zests. This will draw out the oils in the zest and make for a more flavorful bread.
- Combine sponge, butter, sugar, flour and zests in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix to hydrate on low 2 minutes. There should be no dry pieces of dough or unincorporated flour. If you are finding that there is still flour after 2 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of milk and finish mixing.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment, add salt and mix to develop gluten on medium-low, approximately 4 minutes. Check for window pane by taking a piece of the dough and gently stretching it in a square shape. This is an enriched dough so you are looking for a smooth dough that can be pulled thin enough to let light through.
- Place in oiled bowl and cover. Proof for 10 minutes.
- Incorporate raisins, candied zest, and nuts by kneading into the dough. It is okay if all the mix-ins do not incorporate at this stage. You will have another opportunity during folding to try and get more inside! Place in an oiled bowl and bulk proof 20 minutes.
- Uncover the dough and flip it over in the bowl. Starting at the top edge, pull the dough gently and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and then repeat with all the sides. Shove any unincorporated nuts or raisins inside. Proof in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Divide dough in half, approximately 530g each. The quantity of mix ins can make it difficult to judge but you’ve got this!
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pre-shape loaves into rounds. Flip each half over and fold the corners into the center. Flip it right side up so that the smooth side is up. Tighten the ball by gently pulling towards you with both hands. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat until a tight round has formed but it not cracking on the top. Cover and allow to rest 10 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax enough to final shape.
- Using a rolling pin, roll and flatten each round into a rectangle that is about an inch thick. It will be 10-12 inches long. The short edges will be slightly rounded, which is perfect. Using a wooden dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon, roll 2 channels into dough longwise. The channels will divide the dough into approximate thirds.
- If you are filling the dough with marzipan, divide it into two and roll each piece into a rope that is just a little shorter than the dough. Place the marzipan rope into the channel closest to you.
- Lift top bump up and place it into the channel closest to you (the one with the marzipan) and fold the dough edge backwards to create loaves that have 3 ridges. The one in the middle should be higher than the other 2. Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Proof 20-30 minutes. The dough will feel light and airy. You can refrigerate 10 minutes prior to baking to set the shape.
- Egg wash and bake 30-40 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 185°F. You can also use a cake tester to test. The bread is done when the tester comes out clean.
- Cool on sheet pan 10 minutes.
- While warm remove any dark raisins and discard. Brush with melted butter and coat with granulated sugar. You can also coat it in half granulated and half powdered sugar.
Notes
Yield: 2 Loaves
Nutrition
Calories: 2917kcal | Carbohydrates: 404g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 128g | Saturated Fat: 47g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 51g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 387mg | Sodium: 2921mg | Potassium: 2066mg | Fiber: 25g | Sugar: 131g | Vitamin A: 2320IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 407mg | Iron: 19mg