German Stollen Buns
These soft, buttery German stollen buns are an easy bread machine recipe to serve during the Christmas season. The sweet dough is studded with candied fruit and dusted with powdered sugar. You can make them ahead and freeze for easy holiday prep.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup warm milk
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter softened and cut into pieces
- 2 eggs
- 4 1/2 cups (616 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Add During the Mix-In Phase:
- 3/4 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- 3/4 cup dried currants
For Filling:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter softened and cut into 24 pieces
Instructions
- Add the milk and water, eggs, and softened butter to the bread machine pan fitted with the paddle attachment. Then add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast right on top. Place the pan in the bread maker and choose the DOUGH program. Press START. The program will take about 90 minutes to complete.
- Toss the candied fruit and dried currants in one tablespoon of flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the buns. If your bread maker has a mix-in alert, you can add them directly to the dough when the alert sounds. If you forget, you can knead them in by hand once the dough program has finished.
- When the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly floured baking mat. Knead the prepared fruits in if they aren't already mixed into the dough.
- Line a large 10 x 15-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Divide the dough to form 24 equal sized pieces. Flatten each portion slightly and add a dot of cold butter in the center. Wrap the edges around the butter and pinch to seal on the bottom.
- Arrange each bun on the prepared baking sheet as you shape them. Once they've been assembled, cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for 45 min or until they have doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Keeping the pan on the stovetop helps them rise if your kitchen is cold. Bake the buns for 15 - 20 min or until golden brown on top. Cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top. The buns are delicious warm or at room temperature.
