Stollen Bread

A German festival bread that is popular during the Christmas season not only in Germany, but in many other parts of the world as well, especially other European countries and parts of the United States. Stollen is a rich yeast bread that is loaded with currants and raisins that have been soaked in rum and is also flavored with lemon zest, cardamom, candied peel, and almonds. The bread is shaped into a long oval that is tapered at the ends to symbolize the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. The dough is often rolled around a center filling of almond paste made of ground almonds, sugar, and a bit of egg and lemon juice. Some recipes omit the almond paste center, but instead call for chopped almonds to be incorporated in the dough. Stollen is also known as Christmas Stollen, Christollen, and Dresden or Dresdner Christollen after the city of Dresden, Germany where the bread originated.