This was my first attempt at making vegan German stollen for the Yule feast I hosted on the Winter Solstice. It was a bit of a success, fortunately, since this sweetbread is neither quick nor easy to concoct. I used a mixture of oat and wheat flour and some almond meal (to make it extra indulgent), plus orange zest, candied ginger, raisins, and a good amount of warming spices that screamed “IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME.” Feel swaddled in the cozy embrace of a merry home with this step by step stollen recipe and be jolly and bright this Yule season.
prep time, including proof: 4½ to 5 hrs | bake time: appx 1 hr | makes: 2 loaves | difficulty level: expert bread maker
Ingredients
The bread dough
- 8 oz (250 gr) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7 oz (200 gr) oat flour
- 7 oz (50 gr) almond meal
- 4 oz (110 gr) granulated sugar
- 3 oz (85 gr) softened plant-based butter
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) almond milk, lukewarm
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) applesauce
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp cinnamon, powder
- 1 tsp cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp cardamom, crushed
- 2 oranges, zest only
The fruit filling
- 5 oz (125 gr) raisins
- 2 oz (55 gr) black currants
- 2 oz (55 gr) candied ginger, cut into small bits
- 1 tsp almond extract
to finish
- plant-based butter to coat the stollen
- icing sugar to dust the stollen with
- vanilla sugar to sprinkle on top of the icing sugar (optional)
Method
Soak the raisins and currants in hot water and almond extract for 2 hours. Drain and squeeze the excess water out of the plumped fruit. Set aside until ready to incorporate into the bread dough.
In a large bowl, mix the flours and the sugar, and form a well in the center. Bloom the dry yeast in the lukewarm milk, and pour into the center of the well. Tap on the sides of the bowl to make some flour fall into the well. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for a 1 to 2 hours.
Uncover the bowl and add the spices, orange zest, cubed butter, and applesauce to the yeasted dough. Mix until it starts to form a cohesive mass. Dust abundant flour over a clean workbench and knead the dough for a few minutes. Flatten out roughly with your hands and envelop the presoaked fruit and bits of candied ginger into the dough. Be sure to squeeze the liquid out of the plumped raisins and currants, as too much water will inhibit the rise of the bread. Knead for 3-4 minutes, adding some flour if required (the dough will be soft and sticky due to the fruit), and place into a clean bowl dusted with flour. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside to prove until doubled in size, about 2 to 3 hours.
Tip the bowl over the dusted workbench. Divide the dough into two equally-sized portions and flatten out with a rolling pin to form two rectangles about 8″ (20 cm) long, 6″ (15 cm) wide, and 1″ (2.5 cm) thick. To form the traditional stollen loaf, pick up the long edge of the rolled-out slab and fold over the rest of the rectangle, leaving a 2 to 2½” (5 to 6 cm) margin from the opposite edge. Repeat the same folding technique for the other rectangle. Transfer the loaves on to baking sheets that have been heavily-coated with corn meal, or lots of all-purpose flour, and prove for 45 minutes in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Bake the loaves for 15 min at 390°F (200°C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes.
Remove from the oven, coat the surface of the hot loaves with plant-based butter, dust with a thick snowfall of icing sugar. Let cool, sprinkle a dusting of vanilla sugar over the length of the stollen loaves and serve with hot wassail or rooibos tea.
Extras and Tips
This recipe shows measurements in both metric and imperial systems to spare some trouble to readers in the EU, who may be interested in this veganized German classic. We did the math for you. Simply enjoy making the yule kitchen magic happen in your homes without worrying about conversions and equations.
Use a bench scraper, or a sharp knife, to help you knead the dense, wet dough.
