What is the marzipan in the middle of stollen?

A sausage-shaped piece of marzipan is rolled up inside the dough before baking. When sliced, each piece has a soft, almondy centre. Use about 200g of marzipan per loaf, rolled into a log slightly shorter than the dough.

Why is stollen brushed with butter and dusted with sugar?

Immediately after baking, stollen is generously brushed with melted butter, which soaks into the warm bread and keeps it incredibly moist. Once cool, it is heavily dusted with icing sugar, giving the classic snowy appearance and extra sweetness.

How far ahead should I make stollen?

Stollen actually improves with age. Make it 2-4 weeks before you want to eat it. Wrap tightly in cling film and foil and store in a cool place. The flavours meld and the texture becomes denser and more moist over time.

Can I use rum or brandy in stollen?

Yes, soaking the dried fruit in rum overnight is traditional. Use about 3-4 tablespoons of dark rum per 200g of fruit. This adds flavour and helps preserve the stollen. You can also add a tablespoon of rum extract to the dough.

What dried fruit is traditional?

A mix of raisins, sultanas, candied orange peel, and candied lemon peel is traditional. Some recipes also include glace cherries and currants. Chop any large pieces so they distribute evenly through the dough.

Stollen Calculator — Free Online Tool

How We Calculate This

This calculator scales a traditional stollen recipe by number of loaves. Stollen is a rich, buttery German Christmas bread with dried fruit, spices, and a marzipan centre, finished with melted butter and a generous dusting of icing sugar.

Base Recipe (1 Loaf)

500g strong white flour, 10g fine salt, 7g instant yeast
100g butter (softened), 75g caster sugar
200ml warm milk, 1 large egg
200g mixed dried fruit (soaked in rum)
200g marzipan for the filling
50g flaked almonds, 5g mixed spice, 3g cardamom
Zest of 1 lemon

Salt is added at 2% of the flour weight (10g per 500g flour). It controls the yeast fermentation in this enriched dough and balances the sweetness — keep the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl when mixing so the salt does not knock back the yeast.

Finishing

Brush hot stollen generously with 50g melted butter
Dust heavily with 50g icing sugar once cool
Bake at 180°C (160°C fan / Gas 4) for 30-40 minutes. Adjust the oven temperature in Advanced Options — the calculator works out the matching fan temperature (conventional − 20°C) and UK gas mark for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are based on standard ratios and conversions. Results may vary with specific ingredients, equipment, and conditions.