Whole Grain Christmas Stollen
Christmas Stollen is a wonderful German baking tradition this time of year. A sweet loaf that is studded with dried fruit, spiced with cardamom and a special treat of almond paste runs through it. Once it comes out of the oven it is traditional to slather the warm loaf in butter then roll it in sugar, but we skip the extra butter and dust it with a thick layer of confectioners’ sugar to look like the snow outside. This loaf actually holds up very well for a couple of days and that makes it a great gift for the holidays.
About gifts for the bakers on your holiday list, here are our favorite tools for baking bread, they are great for those who love to bake and folks who want to learn how.
100% whole wheat Christmas Stollen from The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes
Makes enough for three 1 1/2 pound loaves
6 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon granulated Red Star Platinum Yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (see the book for other alternatives)
1/2 cup honey
4 large eggs
1/4 cup brandy (OJ or black tea can be substituted)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped dried and/or candied fruit (you choose your favorites. I used cherries, raisins, craisins, and apricots.)
1/2 cup Almond Paste, per loaf
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
Confectioners’ sugar for the top
Mixing the dough: Dump the flour, Platinum yeast, salt, cardamom, and vital wheat gluten in a Round Food-Storage Container with Lid
For a version that is a little more decadent, you can use the Brioche Dough (page 189, ABin5) and add the cardamom, the dried fruit fruit and replace 1/4 of the water for the brandy.
On baking day take a 1 1/2 pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of dough from the bucket.
Using plenty of flour roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick oval. Form the 1/2 cup almond paste into a rope and lay it onto the dough about a 1/3 of the way from the end.
Fold the dough over the almond paste in thirds, so that it forms an S-shape, when you look at it from the end.
Place the loaf on a Sheet Pan
Preheat the oven to 350F degree, with rack in the middle of the oven.
Once it has rested use a pastry brush and cover lightly with egg wash, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Let the loaf cool for about 20 minutes
and then Sprinkle it with confections’ sugar…
Until it is completely covered and looks like snow!
Here’s another idea for a bread baking gift:
Bread Baking Craftsy Class – An in depth video class that will guide you through the mixing, shaping and baking of our Master recipe. We’ll make dozens of breads, including everything from a boule to sticky buns. You’ll see our tips for shaping properly and getting the best results from all your breads, no matter which dough you use. If you buy the class through our site you’ll get $20 off the price of the class. Hope you’ll join us.
The winner of Sarah Kieffer’s book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book
Happy Holidays!
How fabulous! I am printing this to make over the weekend! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
Gorgeous loaf, would love to get better at my bread making 🙂
I would love to have an Emile Henry item and the updated version of HBin5. Yeast is always good too :).
Great! I’d love to put all those items to good, nay great use!
This looks sooo amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Looks like a winner to me; if it’s got cardamom it’s gotta be yummy.
Oh, my what a lovely set! The bread that could be baked! Also, that is a lovely stollen.
Im a beginner bread baker was delighted that my sis sent me this link with this gorgeous yummy recipe… thanks for sharing and giving !!
Blessed Holidays!!
Would love to be one of the winners! 🙂 Love love love your books; they are my favorite cook books. I give them as gifts all the time. Thanks for posting the Stollen – yum!!
Since you have recipes for crock pot bread, can any of these be made start to finish in a bread machine?
That looks so good!
Autofill cracks me up
I can hardly wait to try this bread. I love all of your recipes. Thanks for all the great new recipes.
Great contest, love winning baking supplies. And thanks for recipe; looks like great one for Christmas
I am do excited about this fabulous giveaway! Would love to win the new cookbook not to mention a piece of Emile Henry bakeware too. I have long wanted to learn how to make baguettes but never could afford the tools. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am making Stollen for the first time! Will keep you posted!
Merry Christmas
My wife would LOVE this gift!
Just pulled your cookbook off the shelf this morning. Going to get some dough mixed up today. This stollen looks yummy. Thank you.
You got me. I’m in for the “little more decadent, you can use the Brioche Dough (page 189, ABin5) “.
Family and grand child are coming Christmas eve and this sounds perfect for sitting around the wood stove and have a few warm drinks.
Thanks for the giveway!
I have all the Bread in 5 minutes a day books. They are the only cook books that I use on a consistent basis.
So far everything I have made have been right on.
I have been excited to discover your way of bread making. Thank you for sharing it.
Looks delicious! I will buy some almond paste, and make some this weekend.
What a great giveaway! I would lI’ve a new book or baking tools! I’ll be trying this stollen recipe soon, thanks.
Fond memories of stollen. I married a man whose grandma was from the old country and this was their tradition! Every year for Christmas she would pass out stollen to all the families and when she passed one of her daughters continued the tradition. Now it is my generations time to continue passing the stollen tradition.
This looks like it would,be a wonderful gift to make for friends. I just need to find almond paste and I will be ready to make some gifts. This will be my first attempt at making Stollen.
Can’t wait to get started baking this!
I have tried several recipes from this book when they were posted on Facebook. I would love to own the book! Thanks for all your hard work in bringing these methods to us.
One of my resolutions for 2017 is to learn to make bread from scratch. Your instagram photos inspire me!
This looks so good! I love all of your recipes. Can’t wait to try it!
Baking with love❤️
What great prizes! I love your books. I commented a little while ago, but the e-mail I used is from Germany, where I used to live. I live in the USA now and use both e-mails. Can’t wait to try this Stollen recipe!
Just found your website – have been making the basic recipe from the Mother Earth News – looking forward to learning more!
We make your recipes weekly. They make great gifts. Thanks for the joy you bring.
Yay…stollen. An annual tradition with my daughter, though this version is more appealing on so many levels!
Thanks.
I would love a copy of the new book! The yeast and other toys would be a nice bonus too 🙂
I’m going to try making this. I’ve never made a stollen. It doesn’t look too difficult. Thanks for the recipe!
Counts as a fruit serving, right? 😉
Enjoyed making bread with the older books, looking forward to more delicious bread.
THANK YOU!!! It seems you knew my friend Tina and I agreed last week to meet today and bake Stollen for our families. Merry Christmas to you, your families and friends.
So glad I found your blog! I am planning to begin a foray into high altitude bread baking this winter and your posts have been very helpful. Wondering what equipment you recommend as most needed for someone starting from scratch.
Love you guys!
I love your recipes and still learning how to fine tune for our area. Thanks again for all the recipes you post!
Beautiful stollen –– can’t wait to try this for the holidays. And such a great baking package!
What a fab giveaway….thanks for the chance to win….I love your books….
I’ll be printing the recipe & tackling it this weekend. I’ve already got & use the cloche, but I’d love to win another one of those items!
yum stollen! please pick me 🙂
I’ve just discovered you and am so excited to try recipes. The stollen looks amazing.
Looks wonderful! Love the bread recipe!
The ingredients are on my store list and the stollen baking on my to-do list! I made stollen last year and it was a huge hit. Would love to win your Christmas contest!
This stolen looks fabulous and I love that it is whole grain.