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If there’s one thing I always enjoy making every Christmas it’s a gluten free stollen cake.
A spicy German bread studded with fruit and filled with marzipan, this is a traditional Christmas treat in our household.
It’s surprisingly hard to find gluten free stollen to buy in the shops here in the UK – yet it’s incredibly easy to make.
This German Christmas recipe is an easy gluten free bread which is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
Dusted with marzipan, gluten free stollen makes a lovely gift or just a classic festive treat to enjoy with a cuppa.
I love to make mine ahead of time and freeze slices too, so I can have stollen on demand for the whole Christmas period.
This is actually a recipe from my Gluten Free Christmas ebook but I thought I would treat you all by sharing it on the blog for everyone to enjoy.
What is stollen?
Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread, often made with fruits, nuts and spices.
It’s coated with a snow-dusting of icing sugar to give it a festive look and stuffed in the centre with marzipan.
In Germany, stollen is also known as Weihnachtsstollen (after “Weihnachten”, the German word for Christmas) or Christstollen (after Christ).
‘Normal’ stollen seems to be pretty commonplace in UK supermarkets but unfortunately no mainstream brands have brought out a gluten free version.
Not to worry though – there’s something lovely and festive about baking one up yourself.
Plus it makes the house smell delicious, with the spicy scents of Christmas wafting from the kitchen and the stollen bakes.
Stollen Ingredients
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list here are the ingredients you’ll need.
If you’ve made any of my gluten free bread recipes before, you should have a lot of these to hand already.
- 10g dried yeast
- 55g caster sugar
- 100ml milk
- 200g mixed fruit and peel
- 270g gluten free white bread flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 40g ground almonds
- 50g unsalted butter ( + 20g extra for glazing)
- 2 large eggs
- 250g golden marzipan
- 2-3 tbsp icing sugar (for dusting)
I recommend using the FREEE gluten free white bread flour if you can, which is a mixture of rice, potato and tapioca flour.
If not, a gluten free plain or All Purpose flour will work but you might find you need to add a little extra xanthan gum (around 1/4 tsp).
For a dairy free stollen recipe, simple switch the butter for a vegan alternative and the milk for a dairy free milk of choice.
I find almond, coconut or soya milk tend to work best in these sorts of bakes.
Don’t omit the xanthan gum as it’s super important for being able to work the dough.
You’ll also need to get hold of a food thermometer if you can, to make sure the milk is the correct temperature to activate the yeast.
This is an essential bit of kit if you’re making gluten free bread a lot and they’re really cheap too.
WHICH YEAST IS GLUTEN FREE?
I am based in the UK and there are several yeast products here which are gluten free and readily available.
I always use either the Allinson’s Easy Bake Yeast or the Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast.
You can also use the Allinson’s Time Saver Yeast, though be aware that you may not need to prove the dough for as long if you use this.
All of these yeasts are gluten free in the UK.
The Dove’s Farm one is certified gluten free and found in the free from aisle.
The Allinson’s yeasts are free from gluten and can be found with the ‘regular’ baking goods.
TESTING IF YOUR YEAST IS ACTIVE
It’s very important with any bread recipe that you activate the yeast before using it.
To do this, all of my gluten free bread-based recipes start by mixing the yeast with warm milk (or some of them with water) and sugar.
I’d strongly recommend using a food thermometer like this one to ensure the water or milk is around 40’C – skin temperature.
Too hot and it will kill the yeast, which means your bake will not rise.
When left in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes, the yeast should form a frothy top a bit like the head on beer.
This means your yeast is active and you’re good to go!
If your yeast doesn’t froth up after 10 minutes, it’s likely it is dead and you’ll need to discard it and start again.
Sometimes yeast can go out of date so this could be a reason for it not frothing.
This is also why a food thermometer is so helpful – if the water is too hot or too cold your yeast won’t activate the way it should.
How to make gluten free stollen
There’s a full method down below, but I just wanted to illustrate the best way to construct your stollen once you’ve proved the dough.
You’ll want to roll the dough out between either clingfilm or baking paper, as it will still be quite sticky.
This also means you can use the clingfilm/paper to help you wrap the marzipan up in it’s little gluten free dough blanket!
To start, roll the dough out between the clingfilm until it measures approximately 30cm by 25cm and then remove the top piece of clingfilm.
Next roll the marzipan out to be around 30cm by 12cm, then place it in the centre of the dough.
Use the bottom sheet of paper or clingfilm to bring the edges of the dough up and over the marzipan into the centre, so it completely wraps it.
Pinch the edges of the dough together (wet your fingers if you need to encourage it to stick) so that the marzipan is sealed up.
The simply turn the stollen onto a baking tray – seam-side-down – and bake until golden.
Here’s a little photo illustration of how this process should look:
My gluten free stollen recipe
Here it is – my favourite Christmas recipe ever: gluten free stollen!
Plus I’ve also made a handy video tutorial to show you the process and just how easy this stollen recipe is to make:
This makes enough for a large loaf which will serve around 12 people – plenty to cut up and freeze for later too.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Stollen
Gluten free stollen is a classic festive recipe - a sweet Christmas bread studded with dried fruit with a marzipan centre. This recipe makes a large loaf which has approximately 12 servings.
Ingredients
- 10g dried yeast
- 55g caster sugar
- 100ml milk
- 200g mixed fruit and peel
- 270g gluten free white bread flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 40g ground almonds
- 50g unsalted butter ( + 20g extra for glazing)
- 2 large eggs
- 250g golden marzipan
- 2-3 tbsp icing sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a mug in the microwave until it is around 40’C (using a food thermometer is the best way for this – but if you don’t have one it should feel warm, not hot). Add 10g of the sugar and the yeast, stir and set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. It should form a frothy head like on a pint of beer (see notes if this doesn't happen).
- Add the flour, xanthan gum, remaining sugar, mixed spice, dried fruit and ground almonds to a large mixing bowl and stir well with a spatula or wooden spoon to ensure they’re full combined.
- Melt the butter in a microwave. Pour into the flour mix along with the yeast/milk mixture and the two eggs. Mix the ingredients well until they start to form a sticky dough – start with a wooden spoon or spatula and then get your hands in to knead the dough together.
- Cover the mixing bowl with a tea-towel or clingfilm, and leave the dough in a warm place to prove for around 40-60 minutes. It won’t rise much but should expand a little.
- Once the dough has proved, preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. Turn the dough out onto a piece of clingfilm, place another piece on top and roll the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 30cm x 25cm. Remove the top piece of clingfilm.
- Roll the marzipan out into a rectangle approximately 30cm x 12cm and then place on the centre of the dough. Gently bring the edges of the dough over the top so they meet in the centre of the marzipan (using the clingfilm to help) and pinch them together on top and on each end, so that the marzipan is completely sealed in.
- Place the stollen onto a baking tray (seal side down) and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden on top. Once cooked, remove from the oven, place on a wire rack to cool and brush with the remaining 20g of melted butter, while it’s still warm.
- Leave to cool, then sprinkle generously with icing sugar and cut into slices to serve. Store in a sealed container.
Notes
- This stollen will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it - this is best done in slices if you want to be able to defrost a portion and eat it on demand!
- If your yeast doesn't froth up, it's likely that either the milk is too hot/cold or the yeast has been open too long and has gone out of date. Using a food thermometer is the most accurate way to ensure the yeast will activate and if it doesn't you may need a fresh pack.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 278Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 6g
Need some more gluten free Christmas inspiration?
If you’re after some more gluten free Christmas classics then make sure you check out my Gluten Free Christmas ebook.
From sticky toffee pudding and mince pies to bread sticks and cheese crackers, there’s something for everyone.
You can have a look at my Gluten Free Christmas ebook and purchase it here.
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog? Give some of these other gluten free recipes a try!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple to get you going:
- My gluten free Christmas page
- My FULL gluten free Christmas guide
- My gluten free Christmas cake
- Gluten free chocolate yule log recipe
- Classic gluten free mince pies
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this Gluten Free Stollen recipe?
Make sure you pin the recipe card below for later!
At last a gluten free stollen that tastes better than a regular flour one. This recipe is easy to make and tastes sooooo delicious. Definitely not just for Christmas.
Thank you so much Sarah.
Hoorah! I hav been trying for years to make a decent gluten free stollen- they’ve always been dry and crumbly. This has been a revelation- and tested by my non-gluten free son and deemed very tasty! Thank you Sarah I don’t feel like I’m missing out at Xmas any more!
PS Used Doves gluten free plain flour and added bit more xanthum gum as suggested; used lactofree buetter and used a mix of fruits as per Delia’s Smiths traditional recipe for Stollen- might add chopped almonds next time I make it.
The recipe asks for a spice mix, SOOO what’s in the spice mix. I know I made this recipe, but I didn’t write down the spices I used, and how much of each to make a blend for this recipe. It did turn out well, but this year I’m using only “cup 4 cup” flour blend.
Thanks for the recipe, I made it this week and it turned out well, with some small variations. Where I live, mixed dried fruit isn’t available, so I just used sultanas, which was fine. I didn’t have clingfilm, so I divided the dough into two parts, rolled out the lower one, put the marzipan in between, then put the upper one on, rolled it out and sealed the sides so the marzipan wasn’t visible, I have a feeling this was a bit easier than the original method.