Homemade Christmas Stollen with Allergy-Friendly Almond Stuffing: A Delicious Holiday Tradition for Everyone

Imagine a truly delicious Christmas bread, rich with the festive flavors of cranberries, plump raisins, and succulent currants. Now, picture that bread generously filled with a sweet, aromatic strip of almond stuffing. This bread isn’t just a treat; it’s a wonderfully seasoned, subtly sweet delicacy, perfect for spreading with butter and savoring every bite. This particular recipe offers all that joy, specially crafted to be allergy-friendly, making holiday indulgence accessible to everyone.

For many, the holiday season is synonymous with indulging in beloved festive treats like Christmas stollen. However, for those navigating food allergies, enjoying such delicacies can often be a frustrating challenge. Traditional Christmas bread recipes frequently contain common allergens such as nuts, gluten, or traces of peanuts and dairy (lactose). These ingredients can turn a potential delight into a source of anxiety, leading many, myself included, to forgo Christmas bread altogether for years.

That disheartening trend ended for me when I discovered a truly inspiring recipe from Levine: a homemade Christmas stollen featuring a delightful almond paste. This wasn’t just another recipe; it was a revelation, opening the door to reclaim a cherished holiday tradition. The idea of crafting my own stollen meant I could meticulously control every ingredient, ensuring it was safe and enjoyable without compromising on taste or texture.

With renewed enthusiasm and a sense of holiday spirit, I embarked on the journey of preparing this special Christmas bread. The original recipe called for candied almonds, almonds, and orange shavings to be folded into the dough. However, I decided to personalize it to better suit my preferences and create a truly unique flavor profile. I often find citron and orange shavings to be quite dominant, sometimes overshadowing other delicate flavors in the bread, which doesn’t always appeal to my palate. Instead, I opted for dried cranberries, a choice that proved to be absolutely delicious and added a vibrant, tart counterpoint to the sweet bread and almond filling.

Crucially, I also took the initiative to make the almond stuffing myself. This step was paramount not only for ensuring the utmost freshness and quality but, more importantly, for completely mitigating any potential allergy concerns. Crafting it from scratch allowed for full transparency and control over the ingredients, providing peace of mind. This careful approach paid off immensely, as I was finally able to enjoy my first slice of homemade Christmas bread in years – a truly wonderful and memorable experience that I’m excited to share with you.

The Enduring Charm of Christmas Stollen: A Brief History

Christmas stollen, or Weihnachtsstollen, is a traditional German bread, typically enjoyed during the Advent season and Christmas. Its origins trace back to the 14th century in Dresden, Germany. Originally a much plainer bread, reflecting the fasting requirements of Advent, it slowly evolved over centuries. Butter and sugar were eventually permitted, transforming it into the rich, fruit-laden, and often marzipan-filled delicacy we know today. The shape of the stollen is said to represent the swaddled infant Jesus, making it a symbolic centerpiece for holiday celebrations. While traditionally featuring candied fruits, raisins, and various nuts, this modern take focuses on a more curated fruit selection and homemade almond stuffing, catering to contemporary tastes and dietary needs while honoring its rich history.

Crafting Your Allergy-Friendly Christmas Stollen: Why Homemade Matters

Making Christmas bread at home, especially a stollen, offers numerous advantages beyond just the incredible aroma filling your kitchen. For those with allergies, it’s a game-changer. Store-bought versions often contain cross-contamination risks or hidden ingredients like modified starches or emulsifiers that can trigger reactions. By making your own, you gain complete control, ensuring every ingredient is safe and high-quality. This recipe specifically emphasizes fresh, simple ingredients to create a delicious, worry-free holiday treat. Our homemade almond stuffing, in particular, eliminates concerns about commercial almond pastes that might contain other nuts or unwanted additives, providing a purer and safer flavor experience.

The Perfect Blend of Flavors: Cranberries, Raisins, and Currants

The choice of fruit in any Christmas bread is critical to its character. While traditional stollen often includes a mix of candied citrus peels, I found that these can sometimes overwhelm the delicate spices and rich dough. In this recipe, I’ve swapped them out for a trio of dried fruits: cranberries, raisins, and currants. This combination offers a delightful balance of sweetness and tartness that brightens the entire bread. The cranberries provide a lovely tart bite and festive color, while the raisins and currants contribute a classic, comforting sweetness and chewiness. Soaking these fruits before incorporating them into the dough ensures they are plump and juicy, distributing their flavor beautifully throughout each slice.

Homemade Almond Stuffing: The Heart of Your Stollen

The almond stuffing is arguably the star of this Christmas stollen. It adds a luxurious, moist, and intensely flavorful ribbon through the center of the bread, creating a wonderful contrast with the lighter, spiced dough. Making your own almond paste at home is surprisingly simple and yields a far superior product than most store-bought varieties. You control the quality of the almonds, the sweetness level, and can ensure no unwanted additives or cross-contaminants are present, which is crucial for allergy sufferers. The process involves just a few ingredients – almonds, sugar, and egg – blended to a smooth, fragrant paste. This homemade stuffing delivers a fresh, pure almond flavor that elevates the entire bread, transforming it into a truly gourmet experience.

Essential Tips for Baking a Flawless Christmas Bread

Baking a beautiful Christmas stollen might seem daunting, but with a few key tips, you’ll achieve perfect results. First, ensure all your ingredients, especially the butter and milk for the dough, are at the correct temperature as specified in the recipe. This is vital for proper yeast activation and dough development. Don’t rush the rising times; patience is a virtue when working with yeast dough. A warm, draft-free environment is ideal for the dough to double in size. When incorporating the dried fruits, try to do it in stages, ensuring they are evenly distributed without tearing the delicate dough too much. Finally, don’t skimp on brushing the warm bread with melted butter right out of the oven – this step adds moisture, enhances flavor, and prepares the surface for a dusting of powdered sugar, giving it that classic festive finish. Even experienced bakers will appreciate these reminders, and for newcomers, they are invaluable for success.

📖 Recipe: Homemade Christmas Stollen with Almond Stuffing

RECIPE CARD

Christmas Bread with Almond Stuffing

Andréa

Indulge in this delightful homemade Christmas bread, generously filled with sweet and tangy cranberries, raisins, and currants, all complemented by a rich, homemade strip of almond stuffing. This wonderfully seasoned and lightly sweetened bread is a true delicacy, especially when spread with a generous pat of butter. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a festive snack!

5 of 6 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Rise time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Bread Baking, Breakfast, Lunch, Holiday Dessert

Cuisine Dutch, European Cuisine, German

Servings 10 slices

Calories 449 kcal

Equipment

• Food processor with knife
• Refrigerator
• Mixer with dough hooks or a kitchen machine with dough hooks
• Tea towel, slightly moist
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper
• Baking tray
• A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C

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Ingredients

Almond Stuffing

• ▢ 125 grams almonds
• ▢ 125 grams sugar
• ▢ 1 egg, size L

Fruit Filling

• ▢ 75 grams currants
• ▢ 125 grams raisins
• ▢ 50 grams cranberries , dried

Dough

• ▢ 3 teaspoons dry yeast
• ▢ 160 ml milk , lukewarm
• ▢ 1 egg , size L, beaten
• ▢ 65 grams sugar
• ▢ 7 grams salt
• ▢ 75 grams butter, room temperature
• ▢ 370 grams flour
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon gingerbread spices
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter, for brushing after baking

All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.

Instructions

Almond Stuffing Preparation

• ▢
  Finely chop the almonds with the sugar in a food processor equipped with a knife blade. Once finely ground, add the egg and pulse until a smooth paste forms.
• ▢
  Wrap the freshly made almond stuffing securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it while you prepare the other components. This allows it to firm up slightly and meld flavors.

Fruit Filling Preparation

• ▢
  Place the currants, raisins, and cranberries in a bowl and pour hot water over them. Let the fruits soak for 10 minutes to plump up, then drain them thoroughly.
• ▢
  Gently pat the drained fruits dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. This prevents excess moisture from affecting your dough.

Dough Preparation and Baking

• ▢
  In a large bowl, combine the flour, room temperature butter, sugar, beaten egg, lukewarm milk, dry yeast, and gingerbread spices. Mix with a stand mixer fitted with dough hooks (or by hand) for 5 minutes until well combined.
• ▢
  Next, add the salt and continue kneading the dough for another 10 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky.
• ▢
  Lightly flatten the dough and spread half of the prepared fruit filling evenly over its surface.
• ▢
  Knead the dough briefly to incorporate the fruit, then flatten it again and spread the remaining half of the fruit filling over the dough.
• ▢
  Knead the dough once more until all the fruit filling is thoroughly and evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• ▢
  Lightly grease a clean bowl with some oil and place the dough inside.
• ▢
  Cover the bowl with a slightly damp tea towel, then further cover it with plastic wrap to create a warm, humid environment for rising.
• ▢
  Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in size.
• ▢
  While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, preparing it for your stollen.
• ▢
  Once risen, gently punch down the dough and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to form an oval shape.
• ▢
  Retrieve the almond paste from the refrigerator and shape it into a log that fits neatly within the length of your rolled-out dough, leaving a border on all sides.
• ▢
  Place the almond paste log down the center of the oval dough. Fold the dough in half lengthwise, ensuring it fully encases the almond filling.
• ▢
  Firmly press the edges of the dough together to seal the almond stuffing inside and create the characteristic stollen shape.
• ▢
  Carefully transfer the shaped stollen to your prepared baking sheet. Cover it again with a damp tea towel and plastic wrap for its final rise.
• ▢
  Let the stollen rise for another 1 hour and 30 minutes in a warm place. This second rise is crucial for a light and airy texture.
• ▢
  After 1 hour and fifteen minutes into the second rise, pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350°F).
• ▢
  Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 175°C (350°F), then reduce the oven temperature to 150 degrees Celsius (300°F).
• ▢
  Continue baking for an additional 40 minutes, or until the stollen is golden brown and cooked through. A wooden skewer inserted into the bread (avoiding the almond paste) should come out clean.
• ▢
  As soon as the stollen comes out of the oven, brush it generously with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. This helps keep it moist and adds a rich flavor.
• ▢
  Allow the stollen to cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired for that classic festive look.

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 10gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 319mgFiber: 5gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 336IUVitamin C: 2mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Christmas Stollen Recipe, Homemade Almond Stuffing, Allergy-Friendly Christmas Bread, Cranberry Stollen

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