Ten years ago, most British consumers had never heard the word Christstollen, or Stollen for short.
Risen and ready for the oven, but not very appetising yet
Once upon a time there were just four ingredients
Stollen was invented in Dresden, but its production is now worldwide
Nicely dressed, ready for action.
The UK – and even the wider world – has profited from Germany’s Christmas traditions over the years, and Stollen is just the latest import. Twenty years ago you might have found this German recipe in speciality delicatessens, but now that we have the likes of Aldi and Lidl surreptitiously slipping German produce into our shopping baskets, and now that we have German Christmas Markets invading our town centres, Stollen is very much here to stay.
For the uninitiated, Stollen is a bread-like fruitcake whose shape is meant to symbolise the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. It is made with yeast, water and flour, with candied orange peel and candied citrus peel, raisins, almonds and spices such as cardamom and cinnamon added to the dough. Other popular additions are sugar, butter, vanilla and marzipan, but any deviation from the traditional recipe automatically disqualifies the product from the official AOC, the Stollen Schutzverband (an association of Stollen bakers).
Only 150 bakers belong to this association, and they’re all in the Dresden area, for this is the city where Stollen was originally created, over 500 years ago. That original recipe (first documented in 1474) was very different to the product we know now. Composed of just flour, oats and water, it was the sort of thing you might use to hold doors open, but in those days advent was a time of fasting, and more luxurious ingredients were forbidden.
A bread-like fruitcake whose shape is meant to symbolise the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes
After several unsuccessful approaches to various Popes, Innocent VIII finally granted the use of butter in Stollen in a letter to Saxony’s Prince Elector, but this “Butter-Letter” only granted the use of butter to the Prince-Elector and his family and household. Others had to pay a fine, which was why experimentation started with different kinds of animal fats instead, pork fat and beef fat in particular. Eventually the whole butter issue was resolved when Saxony became Protestant, so Martin Luther (see the text on the great man) was indirectly responsible for putting Stollen on the world map.
These days the various bakeries in and around Dresden have their own variations on the recipe, and they still tend to be less rich and sweet than the sort you’d find in supermarkets. Some will also bake loaves brought in by some local families, who still prefer to mix their own recipe at home. Every year they also elect the Dresden Stollen Girl, who has to be a more-or-less scrumptious third year apprentice baker, pastry-cook or salesperson, and who becomes the ambassador for Dresden Stollen.
Find more information on Dresden Stollen.
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FAQs
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? ›
The regular stollen is $23.50, and there's one with a quarter-inch marzipan filling that costs $27. Why so expensive? Because they're extremely difficult to make, says one of Yalaha's bakers, Eberhard Rousse(ph).
Why is stollen eaten 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.
What time of year is stollen cake traditionally served in Germany? ›
One of the most famous German cakes is most certainly the Stollen, a rather heavy sweet yeast bread that is often associated with Christmas.
Why do Germans eat stollen? ›
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 are some interesting facts about stollen? ›
Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread which dates as far back as the 1400s. It is defined as a folded sweet loaf filled with candied fruit. We soak our Stollen fruits in an apricot liquor overnight to give them an added dimension of sweetness. They are then folded into a sugared yeast dough.
How do Germans eat stollen? ›
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.
How long does German stollen last? ›
If stored in a cool and dry place such as a bread box or drawer, your stollen will last for months.
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.
Should stollen be refrigerated? ›
Stollen has a very long life when packaged. Keep it wrapped well after slicing, perhaps even storing it in the refrigerator and letting it come to room temperature before serving.
Traditionally stollen is sliced and served as is with breakfast, although some people prefer to warm individual slices in a toaster or a microwave. Over time, the topping on the stollen may become discolored.
What is the difference between panettone and stollen? ›
Although their different shapes and textures suggest otherwise, panettone (tall and light) and stollen (long and dense) are made from a basic butter- and sugar-enriched yeast dough. Panettone typically contains candied orange peel and raisins; traditional stollen had candied lemon peel and dried cherries as well.
What is cake hour in Germany? ›
The traditional German Kaffee und Kuchen is a social ritual where friends and family gather to enjoy coffee, cake, and conversation, happening any time between two and five o'clock.
Is stollen like fruitcake? ›
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.
What does the word stollen literally mean? ›
German, literally, post, support, from Old High German stollo — more at stela.
Where did stollen cake get its name? ›
Some believe that the product originated from a baking competition held by a German bishop in 1329. Others ascribe the name stollen (meaning 'tunnel' in German) to the history of tin and silver mining in the area surrounding Dresden.
How did stollen get its name? ›
Well, the origin of Stollen is actually a word we all know really well: stellen (to put). A Stollen originally had the idea of “thing that stands/makes stand” and before it was used for the mining tunnel itself, Stollen was the word for the rough, wooden posts and lumps that were used in mining.
