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!
I am going to try this next week. Thank you for the opportunity.
This looks great. Thanks!
This recipe looks incredible; I am going to make this for our Christmas Dinner. And thanks for the chance to win the lovely prizes, this is a very generous offering.
Peggy P
and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
This recipe looks fantastic! If it is like your other bread recipes it will be great. Love your bread recipes and technique for baking bread!
Please enter me in the drawing.
This sounds amazing. I can hardly wait to try it.
Love this website! It provides so much inspiration and nothing but total goodness! The stollen looks absolutely fabulous! And, thank you Emile Henry for the opportunity to win some (much needed) fabulous prizes.
Wow, this recipe looks amazing! I want to bake it right NOW.
Thanks for the contest!
Please enter me in the contest
What a wonderful giveaway for bread bakers!
I love stollen. 🙂
Looks amazing! Hope to try it.
I am currently studying at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and love learning about baking traditions, especially around Christmas time! I can’t wait to make this for my fellow classmates 🙂
Our family of 8 made Stollen every year and delivered it to the neighbors along with a Christmas carol! Thanks for sharing the giveaway!
I would love and addition to the kitchen this season!
This looks like a great recipe! Definitely something to try over Christmas vacation!
This looks so amazing! I’m excited to try it with whole wheat flour.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe. My husband is German so to make this is a must, just in time for the Holidays. I would love to be a recipient of one of the Emile Henry products. Warm regards and look forward to more great recipes and cookbooks. Linda
This recipe looks divine and I hope to make it this season! I love that it is whole wheat. Thanks for all your amazing recipes and tips; it has totally changed how we do bread at my house!
Merry Christmas!
The stollen looks amazingly good, I need to try making this recipe for the holiday’s.
Those generous prizes would be a great addition to any breadmaker’s kitchen! And the stollen recipe looks wonderful, too…hopefully, I can try my hand at it this Christmas.
What a lovely and festive recipe! You have the best ideas – am looking forward to trying it. Thanks!
I love bread and this is a wonderful giveaway! Awesome recipes
This looks great. I think I’ll give it a try!
I now live in Costa Rica, where the bread sold is not any good.
This easy way to prepare and bake delicious bread, has made my move here ,
so much more happy!
Thanks for your breakthough idea!
LOVE IT!
This looks wonderful, can’t wait to try it!
Oh wow! This looks so delicious–I’m adding it to my long list of things to make for the holidays. (Hmm, my list seems very heavy on the baked goods and light on the other things . . . ) 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity, and happy holidays to you all!
This stollen looks amazing. Will definitely be trying it and would love a copy of your book!
Awesome recipe! I love baking this time of year. One of my favorite things. Merry Christmas to all and happy baking!
I’ve made your stollen before and it was delicious. Thanks for the giveaway!
This looks amazing. You are an inspire and motivate me to make wonderful bread.
I’ve always wanted to try stollen, being of German heritage. Perhaps this is the year!
It’s been years since I’ve made Christmas Stollen, this has motivated me to do it again.
My elderly neighbor is originally from Belgium and I make her a stollen every Christmas. She tells me it reminds her of the one her mother used to make!
I will try this recipe this year – it looks so good!!!!
Looks amazing! Love your books!
What a beautiful loaf, and what a generous giveaway! Merry Christmas!
Looks gorgeous! Happy holidays
That looks so yummy! It would be fabulous to win one of those to add to my baking tools! Thanks for the opportunity!
This sounds wonderful I’ll be trying this
My life has literally changed ever since I discovered your first book. All my relatives rave about my bread! I can’t wait to try some of the recipes in you ur newest book. Happy Holidays!
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I would love to win cause I love trying new recipes and old ones. But most of all I don’t need a special time to bake to make people happy it’s just gives me great pleasure to see them smile. I can’t wait until my little grandchildren grow up to teach them what I was taught and to get give them all of my tools. Please pick me.
Thanks for the chance to win
The stollen looks wonderful. I’ve never made it before, but this may be a first
I’m curious about the purpose of the egg wash when you cover the whole thing with powdered sugar. Does it help seal the loaf so it stays fresh longer? Looks delicious!
Looks great!
This looks tasty! I will have to add this to my Christmas baking list! Frohe Weihnachten!
It looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this.
This giveaway is fantastic! Fingers crossed!