Mrs. Kostyra’s Christmas Stollen is a lovely yeast Christmas bread to enjoy on Christmas morning. It’s Martha Stewart’s beloved mother’s recipe and we enjoy it every year. Filled with dried fruits and with a lovely powdered sugar glaze, it’s a family favorite!
I’ve been dreaming of making this Christmas stollen since I saw it in Martha Stewart Living magazine in 2009. It’s Martha’s mother’s recipe and it looked like it was a good one.
Mrs. Kostyra’s Christmas Stollen
What stopped me from making it year after year? Was it the mace? Was it the braids? I’m thinking it simply had to do with my not taking the time to see what mace is and how it could be substituted. It also was because I didn’t want to try to tackle making pretty braids.
This year I had no qualms about braiding the loaves and I also had no issues with completely omitting the elusive mace. I still have not come across it any of my spice shopping ventures.
When do you use the spice mace?
Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it impart. Mace’s strong aroma is similar to a combination of pepper & cinnamon.
What can you use instead of mace?
Grated nutmeg would be the closest substitute. Ground all spice could also work but is much stronger.
“Chock-full of dried fruit, almonds, and spices, the German stollen is a dense bread that is traditionally oblong, symbolizing a swaddled infant. The history of stollen dates to 15th-century Dresden, where the first German Christmas market was held (a festival still honors it each year). The bread has evolved since then, gradually becoming richer and sweeter. In this version, a recipe from Martha’s mother, Martha Kostyra, pieces of the dough are braided, letting drizzles of the icing pool in the baked loaf ‘s twists and turns.”
Martha Stewart Living, December 2009
What can you substitute the Cognac with?
Can you bake it without alcohol?
What is Mrs. Kostyra’s Christmas Stollen bread recipe like?
Mrs. Kostyra’s Christmas Stollen
yield: makes 2 braided loaves
Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and more if needed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mace (I used cinnamon instead)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup whole milk, warmed
5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (from two 1/4-ounce envelopes), dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
7 1/2 ounces golden raisins (1 1/2 cups), soaked in 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
5 ounces dried currants (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons), soaked in 1/4 cup Cognac
5 ounces blanched almonds (1 cup), coarsely chopped
4 ounces diced candied citron (2/3 cup)
2 ounces diced candied orange peel (1/3 cup)
2 ounces diced dried apricots (1/3 cup)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Vegetable oil, for bowl
glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
5 tablespoons whole milk
Directions
Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt, mace, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter. Add dissolved yeast and the eggs. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth.
Drain raisins and currants. Add raisins, currants, almonds, citron, orange peel, apricots, and lemon zest to dough, and continue kneading until incorporated, about 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, knead in more flour.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
Punch down dough, divide into 6 even pieces, and roll each piece into a 15-inch-long log. Braid 3 logs together, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 logs.
Cover with plastic, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours more.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake stollen until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Beat together confectioners’ sugar and milk. Drizzle stollen with icing just before serving.
Happy Baking!
xo
Lora
Mrs. Kostyra’s Christmas Stollen
Ingredients
- DOUGH
- 5 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour plus more for surface and more if needed
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace I used cinnamon instead
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 5 ounces 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast from two 1/4-ounce envelopes, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 7 1/2 ounces golden raisins 1 1/2 cups, soaked in 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 5 ounces dried currants 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons, soaked in 1/4 cup Cognac
- 5 ounces blanched almonds 1 cup, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces diced candied citron 2/3 cup
- 2 ounces diced candied orange peel 1/3 cup
- 2 ounces diced dried apricots 1/3 cup
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- Vegetable oil for bowl
- GLAZE
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 5 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt, mace, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter. Add dissolved yeast and the eggs. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth.
- Drain raisins and currants. Add raisins, currants, almonds, citron, orange peel, apricots, and lemon zest to dough, and continue kneading until incorporated, about 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, knead in more flour.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
- Punch down dough, divide into 6 even pieces, and roll each piece into a 15-inch-long log. Braid 3 logs together, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 logs.
- Cover with plastic, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours more.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake stollen until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Beat together confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle stollen with icing just before serving.
Beautiful, Lora! I've always wanted to make a stollen…it's on my list for this month. AND, I just so happen to have mace in my spice cupboard (lonely, neglected, don't remember why I bought it in the first place)… 😉
This is a gorgeous bread, but then you´ve made so many in the last months! I can´t believe I missed last months´ theme. Well, will have to make it up. Your pics are great Lora!
Holy moly! That is nothing short of stunning, Lora! What a gorgeous stollen! I love the picture with the glaze dripping down the sides! Yum! Great theme for december! Can't wait to be back and bake along this month! 🙂
Great. I'm a fan of Stollen. I've tried mano versions. My favourite istituto with ricotta. I want to try yours.
Wow beautiful! I've made stollen twice, two different recipes and now I must make this one this year. The texture is more like a brioche or challah which I really much prefer than the normal cakier stollen. Beautiful!
I remember this recipe from that magazine! It's been on my list of things to bake too. Thanks for the motivation to give it a try. Yours is gorgeous!
That Stollen looks AMAZING!
Oh my gahh, Lora..this stollen is gorgeous! You and Jamie need to open a bakery together! OK..I need to pin the heck out of this baby xo
Oh..BTW..loved Martha's Mom..was so sad when I heard she passed.
This stollen is gorgeous! I've never had stollen before but reading about yours makes me want to try it. Lovely! As for mace, I actually purchased some right at re grocery store. It tastes like mild nutmeg and when I haven't had some on hand that's what I've substituted mace with, nutmeg. Love the theme for this month and can't wait to get working on some boozy bread 🙂
Yay, can't wait to make boozy bread 🙂 I've never had to substitute for mace before but sounds like cardamom or cinnamon (as you did) would work just fine!
I am also dying to make this. The only thing stopping me is finding the citron. I love citron but don't know where to buy it. Where did you get yours?
This stollen (pronounced schtullen when I was growing up) is reminiscent of my childhood. My mom made stollen every Christmas and yours looks so much like hers, VERY YUMMY! Thanks for sharing this delicious treat!
Gorgeous stollen, Lora! I can only imagine how wonderful this smelled while baking!
This loaf of bread is GORGEOUS!
Lora, this is a piece of art work! So beautifully done! I haven't really baked yeasted bread before, but seeing your work is so inspiring! I like to eat this kind of loaf, so I just have to get the courage to try something like this!
Stollen reminds me of growing up; my Dad bought one every Sunday morning on the way home from church. Maybe that helped all of us kids be quiet; knowing we would have a treat when we got home.
This is lovely…the booze sure doesn't hurt!
I am one of those people who randomly has mace.
This looks so beautiful, Lora – I can imagine the pillowy fluffy oooh… I am at a loss for words now. Perhaps a weekend project for me!
My husband loves stollen, but I've never tried it. I'm thinking it's time to tackle it. Mace sounds similar to Chinese 5 spice. I don't think I've ever looked for it here, but I will. Hope you are having a wonderful week.
-Gina-
One gorgeous stollen Lora and your photos are just dreamy with goodness from this beautiful braided bread;-) I'm glad you finally got around to attempting this wonderful recipe;-)
Wow, this looks fantastic! I'd love to have this on Christmas morning!!!
I'm intimidated by bread-braiding too, but this looks so delicious…I may have to face down that fear! 😀
Gorgeous work, Lora!
Gorgeous Stollen Lora! It's a wonderful bread the the holiday season we are in, and I should make this for my foreign exchange student since she is from Germany!
Every year after Christmas I think I need to make stollen and then conveniently forget until after Christmas. Your stollen is gorgeous! I don't think I've ever seen mace in the stores, not that I've looked through.
As always, gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!
I don't know what mace even looks like so I'll take the pepper and cinnamon combo! 🙂
Beautiful braiding, beautiful loaf. I've never used mace but I have seen it in the stores around here.
Beautiful Stollen Lora! I am always in awe of your bread making prowess! I wish I had the time to make bread – I guess I need to set aside time. Lovely!!!
What a beautiful loaf Lora! You make it look very simple!!
The bread looks lovely.
Gorgeous! I will go for this any day of the week – perfect for the holidays.
That is quite a hunk of deliciousness you have there 😉
I think I'm going to have dreams of this beautiful loaf. It's like challah on Crack (yes, you can put that quote on the back of your book ;-))
What a temptingly gorgeous loaf, and perfect timing for the holidays. You can order mace online from Penzeys
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysmace.html
though I'm tempted to use Penzeys Apple Pie Spice mix instead. It is a fragrant and tasty blend of mace, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
This came out beautifully Lora! Perfect for the holidays 🙂
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What a gorgeous stollen! Itlooks lovely and light, Ive found stollen to be quite heavy although I always love it!
If you are still looking for mace, Penzys Spices carries it. They have a few retail outlets across the country, but are mainly a mail order catalog. No affiliation, just like their spices and tho't I'd share the thought.
I’ve been making this recipe for 5 years to give to my family at Christmas and it’s my favorite tradition to eat on Christmas morning! Thank you!
Hi Olivia-that is so sweet that you wrote to let me know this. I have to buy some raisins so I can make it again for tomorrow! Merry Christmas to you and your family and happy baking! xx