Fruit Bread
Fruit bread or Stollen is a popular Christmas recipe in Germany. This rich, buttery and sugary bread spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom tastes perfect on cold winter days. In Germany, people make Stollen at home, and it is also commonly available in supermarkets. Although the supermarket ones are not bad, there is nothing like freshly baked homemade goodies.
Christmas is the time for holidays, and what could be better than spending time with family, cooking, baking and creating lovely food in your own home kitchen? Last Christmas, after visiting the Christmas Market in my city, I was quite inspired to try out a few recipes at home.
I started with making roasted almonds and roasted chestnuts.
With my success with these two recipes, I decided to try something bigger and more elaborate. So, I made Fruit Bread. I wouldn’t call my recipe Stollen because Stollen has a unique shape, distinguishing it from regular fruit bread. Mine are simple loaves of bread. But the taste is quite similar, meaning it is rich and delicious 🙂
If you are looking for more dessert recipes, check out these tried and tested recipes from my kitchen.
Let’s start with the recipe:
Equipment:
- Mixing bowls for mixing the dough, soaking the fruits etc
- Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
Ingredients to make Fruit Bread:
Ingredients to be soaked overnight
- 125 ml Rum
- 100 gm Candied Orange Peels
- 100 gm Candied lemon Peels
- 300 gm Raisins
- 100 gm Powdered Almonds
Ingredients for the dough
- 500 gm Refined Flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cardamom Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 15 gm Instant Dry Yeast
- 100 ml Lukewarm Milk
- 80 gm Sugar
- 150 gm Unsalted Butter; at room temperature
Additionally
- 50 gm Melted Butter
- Powdered Sugar for sprinkling
Some Notes about Ingredient sourcing in Germany:
All the ingredients needed for this recipe are easily available in supermarkets. Here is some more information:
- Rum: I used Captain Morgan. It is easily available in supermarkets.
- Candied Orange Peels: Called Orangeat. Available in supermarkets
- Candied Lemon Peels: Called Zitronat. Available in supermarkets
- Raisins: Called Rosinen. Available in supermarkets
- Powdered Almonds: Called gemahlene Mandeln. Available in supermarkets
- Refined Flour: I used Type 405. Read more about flour in German Supermarkets.
- Cinnamon Powder: Called Zimt (gehmalen). Available in supermarkets
- Nutmeg Powder: Called Muskatnuss (gemahlen). Available in supermarkets
- Cardamom Powder: Called Kardamom (gemahlen). Available in supermarkets
- Salt: Read more about Salt in German Supermarkets
- Yeast: Called Trockenhefe. Available in supermarkets
- Milk: I used Milk with 3.5% Fat. Read more about Milk in German Supermarkets.
- Sugar: I used Rubenzucker. Read more about Sugar in German Supermarkets.
- Butter: I used unsalted Deutsche Marken Butter. Read more about Butter In German Supermarkets.
- Powdered Sugar: I used Puderkzucker. The link for Sugar in German Supermarkets has been shared.
Method to make Fruit Bread:
Combine raisins, candied lemon peels, candied orange peels, and almond powder in a mixing bowl and mix well. 
Add rum. Mix. Cover and leave it overnight.
The following day, start the process of making the bread. In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm milk with yeast. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
In another mixing bowl, combine refined flour, sugar, salt and spice powder.
Make a well in the middle. Add the milk and yeast mixture.
Knead it.
To this kneaded dough, add the rum mixture and butter.
Combine everything well.
Cover and rest this mixture for about an hour in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C for about 10 minutes.
After the dough has rested for an hour, divide it into two or four portions as per your preference. Shape them as desired. Please note that the raisins on the surface will get a burnt taste after baking. So, if you don’t like that, use your finger to push the raisins inside so they are not directly exposed to heat. 
Bake for 50 minutes at 180 degrees C. Once baked, poke holes in the bread using a long toothpick. 
Brush melted butter.
Pass powdered sugar through a sieve and coat the surface of the bread generously with it.
Rest it for about an hour. Then, slice and serve.
Here is the recipe in printable format:
Fruit Bread
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For soaking
- 125 ml Rum
- 100 gm Candied Orange Peels
- 100 gm Candied lemon Peels
- 300 gm Raisins
- 100 gm Powdered Almonds
Ingredients for the dough
- 500 gm Refined Flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cardamom Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 15 gm Instant Dry Yeast
- 100 ml Lukewarm Milk
- 80 gm Sugar
- 150 gm Unsalted Butter; at room temperature
Additionally
- 50 gm Melted Butter
- Powdered Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine rum with raisins, candied lemon peels, candies orange peels, and almond powder. Mix it well. Cover and soak it overnight.
- The following day, start the process of making the bread.
- In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm milk with yeast. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In another mixing bowl, combine refined flour, sugar, salt and spice powder.
- Make a well in the middle. Add the milk and yeast mixture.
- Knead it.
- To this kneading dough, add the rum mixture and butter.
- Combine everything well.
- Cover and rest this mixture for about an hour in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C for about 10 minutes.
- After the dough has rested for an hour, divide it into two portions.
- Bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees C.
- Once baked, poke holes in the bread.
- Brush melted butter.
- Pass powdered sugar through a sieve and coat the surface of the bread generously with it.
- Slice when cooled.
Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.
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