When you search for stollen on the web, most sites will tell you it is a German “fruitcake” baked at Christmas time which originated in Dresden around the mid 15th century. First I would like to clarify that this is a sweet bread, not a cake. And though it may, yes I said may, contain candied fruit, it tastes nothing remotely like fruitcake. If anything, it is most closely related to the Italian panettone, also a sweet dough bread. As far as it only being baked during Advent or Christmas, phooey!
Any time an friend or honored guest arrives at a home in western Austrian and in Germany, stollen is served with a hot beverage (almost always coffee). The loaves, with their characteristic 1/3 fold and crust of powdered sugar are always a sign of hospitality. My two favorites are Mohnstollen, made with poppyseed and stollen made with a marzipan center. The poppyseed is not so popular with the American palette and in the States, the marzipan ones are difficult to find.
Back to the fruitcake thing…My very first encounter with stollen while living in Austria was at a friend’s mother’s home. It contained only raisins (soaked in apple schnapps!). It was a simple yet wonderfully tasty treat! I have had stollen made with candied fruit (Zitronat) and have enjoy that flavor as well. So this bread combines my two favorites kinds to make an Ur Stollen!
I used both golden and regular raisins in this recipe. For the maceration, I basically raided the liquor cabinet. I used apricot brandy, triple sec, and the rest of the bottle of limoncello (a scant quarter cup). They took a full 2 days to soak up the blend. The day before making the bread, I also made marzipan. Most grocers stock small tubes of marzipan in the baking section. My recommendation: make your own. It’s much tastier, makes more, and costs about the same. I used Marcona almonds in the recipe which added a unique flavor. Marzipan in Europe contains a larger percentage of almond meal; sometimes up to 75%. I made mine in the same manner.
The recipe makes a whopper of a loaf. I would suggest dividing the dough in two and make separate loaves. If you have a vacuum sealer, these can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and dust lightly with a fresh coat of powdered sugar.
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Large stollen
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Sliced loaf
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