Honest recipes for Christmas stew in the 7 best variants and tricks on how to prepare it correctly!

Christmas includes not only sweets and Christmas cookies, but also other sweet snacks.

Do you like sourdough, raisins, candied fruit and almonds?

Try our recipes for Christmas stew.

You will see that the dessert popular especially among our German-speaking neighbors will taste good to you too!

It should be properly prepared three weeks before the holidays, but it is not necessary.

A real homemade Christmas tree

This variant is so tasty that the ingredients in the recipe are listed so that you can make two pieces of this traditional Christmas pastry.

Ingredients:

• 850 g semi-coarse flour
• 42 g of fresh yeast
• 150 ml of milk
• 200 g of butter
• 100 g of sugar
• 300 g of raisins
• 2 eggs
• 100 g of candied orange peel
• 100 g of candied lemon peel
• 100 g of chopped almonds
• 125 ml of rum
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of salt

For smearing

• 75 g of butter
• 150 g of powdered sugar

Method:

1. Mix the raisins, lemon zest, candied orange zest and candied lemon zest with the rum and chopped almonds. Leave to infuse for at least an hour.
2. Pour the sifted flour into a bowl and make a small well with your fingers.
3. Crumble the yeast into the well.
4. Heat the milk briefly and then cover the yeast with about two spoons of lukewarm milk.
5. Add a pinch of sugar and briefly stir the mixture in the well. Sprinkle some flour on top.
6. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 15-20 minutes.
7. Then add butter, eggs, sugar, salt and spices cut into small pieces to the flour.
8. First, mix everything briefly and then intensively knead for several minutes using a food processor.
9. In the meantime, gradually add milk to the dough.
10. Finally, briefly stir in the fruit, rum and almond mixture.
11. Cover and let rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
13. Knead the dough again and divide it into two equal parts into two tunnels.
14. Form oblong loaves from both parts of the dough.
15. Using a rolling pin, roll the first part of the dough slightly flat.
16. Fold the dough and shape the tunnel into the desired shape.
17. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and then with baking paper.
18. Place the stola on a baking sheet and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
19. Then reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C and place inside the tunnel.
20. Bake for about 45-50 minutes.
21. If it seems to you that the gallery darkens too much during baking, cover it with aluminum foil.
22. Brush the still-bitter stola with hot melted butter after baking.
23. After cooling, brush the tunnel with butter once more and sprinkle thickly with powdered sugar.

An honest almond tunnel with cottage cheese

Although this Christmas delicacy is usually made with fresh yeast, there are also variants with baking powder. This recipe is proof of that.

Ingredients:

• 500 g plain flour
• 250 g of cottage cheese
• 200 g of butter
• 180 g of sugar
• 120 g of chopped almonds
• 2 eggs
• 100 g of raisins
• 50 g of candied lemon peel
• 50 g of candied orange peel
• a pinch of cardamom
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a small amount of rum
• 1 bag of vanilla sugar
• 1 bag of baking powder

For smearing

• 60 g of melted butter
• 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Method:

1. First, mix the flour with the baking powder.
2. Then mix the mixture with spices, rum, eggs, butter and cottage cheese and make a smooth dough by hand or with the help of a food processor.
3. Stir in the candied fruit.
4. Shape the dough into a tunnel shape.
5. Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a tray with baking paper.
6. The Christmas tunnel is baked for approximately 60 minutes.
7. While it is still hot, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it thickly with powdered sugar.

Traditional leavened Christmas tunnel

Originally, this delicacy was prepared from only three ingredients, but nowadays we prefer the richness of flavors and aromas, which are given by a variety of raw materials.

Ingredients:

• 500 g semi-coarse flour
• 200 g of butter
• 200 ml of milk
• 100 g of granulated sugar
• 100 g of raisins
• 100 g of almonds
• vanilla sugar
• a few PL of rum
• 42 g of yeast
• pinch of salt

For smearing

• 75 g of butter
• 150 g of powdered sugar

Method:

1. As a first step, mix all the loose ingredients.
2. Add powdered yeast, soft butter and other ingredients except vanilla sugar.
3. Mix everything thoroughly.
4. Cover the finished dough with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least two hours.
5. Then work the dough thoroughly once more and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
6. After rising, shape the dough into an oblong loaf and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
7. Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C for approximately 40-50 minutes.
8. While baking, prepare some melted butter and mix it with vanilla sugar.
9. After removing from the oven, brush the prepared mixture with butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Festive butterscotch with a mixture of fragrant spices

Not every recipe has to include cottage cheese in addition to butter.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of flour
• 250 g of butter
• 100 g of sugar
• 175 ml of milk
• 150 g of raisins
• 100 g of chopped almonds
• 50 g of candied lemon peel
• 50 g of candied orange peel
• 42 g of yeast
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 70 ml of rum

For smearing

• 50 g of butter
• 50 g of powdered sugar

Method:

1. Soak raisins, almonds and candied peel in rum for several hours.
2. First, prepare yeast from yeast, milk and flour, and leave it to rise in a warm place.
3. Meanwhile, mix the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and spices in a bowl.
4. When the yeast rises, add it to the bowl.
5. Work into a dough.
6. Finally, mix the mixture of almonds, raisins and candied peel into the dough.
7. Process the dough again.
8. Then cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the dough rest in a warm place for about an hour.
9. After this time, form a tunnel from the dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
10. Leave to rise again for another 30 minutes.
11. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C.
12. Bake the stola for approximately 70-75 minutes.
13. Immediately after baking, brush the surface of the tunnel with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Christmas cheesecake with marzipan

One of the most popular variants is the one enriched with marzipan. Try it, you will see that you will love it!

Ingredients:

• 500 g semi-coarse flour
• 42 g of fresh yeast
• 100 ml of milk
• 200 g of butter
• 250 g of cottage cheese
• 100 g of sugar
• 200 g of raisins
• 1 egg
• 50 g of candied orange peel
• 50 g of candied lemon peel
• 75 g of chopped almonds
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• pinch of salt
• 100 g of marzipan

For smearing

• 25 g of butter
• 3-4 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Method:

1. Mix the flour and sugar well and make a well in the middle of the mixture.
2. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk and pour into the well.
3. Cover them with a small amount of flour from the edge and let them stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the marzipan, and make a soft, smooth dough by hand or with the help of a food processor.
5. Let the dough rise for about an hour and a half.
6. Then roll out the dough, roll out the marzipan and place it in the middle of the dough.
7. Form into a tunnel shape.
8. The Christmas stew prepared in this way should rise for another 20 minutes before putting it in the oven.
9. Bake in an oven preheated to 150°C for approximately 35-45 minutes.
10. Brush the warm cake pan with melted butter after removing it from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

A real Dresden tunnel

When preparing the true Dresden version, it is important to follow the indicated ratio of ingredients.

Ingredients

• 500 g semi-coarse flour
• 200 g of raisins
• 220 g of butter
• 120 g of powdered sugar
• 125 ml of milk
• 100 g of orange and lemon candied peel
• 100 g of almonds
• 6 tablespoons of rum
• 42 g of fresh yeast
• pinch of salt

For smearing

• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1 bag of vanilla sugar

Method

1. Crumble the yeast into lukewarm milk with a little sugar and let the leaven rise.
2. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, softened butter, salt, almonds, raisins and candied fruit that you soaked in rum.
3. Add the risen yeast and knead the dough.
4. Leave the prepared dough to rise for an hour in a warm place.
5. Then turn the resulting dough onto a floured roll, work it again and let it rest in a warm place for an hour.
6. Then shape the shape of the tunnel from the dough.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Put the Christmas tree on a baking sheet and let it rest for a while.
9. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes.
10. Brush the still warm cake with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

A healthy variant of the classic trench coat

This Christmas delicacy can also be prepared in a healthier form, thanks to which you don’t have to worry that every bit will affect your figure.

Ingredients:

• 300 g ground oatmeal or wholemeal flour
• 100 g of rice flour
• 100 g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 300 g of low-fat cottage cheese
• 100 g of coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons of almond milk
• 200 g of chopped almonds
• 80 g of dried apricots
• 50 g of dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons amaretto
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Chop the dried apricots and cranberries.
3. Mix them with chopped almonds and amaretto, set aside.
4. Put the oatmeal in a bowl with the rice flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Stir in the spice mixture and grated lemon zest.
6. In another bowl, beat the eggs with low-fat cottage cheese, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and almond milk.
7. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the flour and mix well.
8. Knead into a dough by hand or using a food processor.
9. Then stir in the almonds and dried fruit.
10. Shape the dough into a typical loaf shape.
11. Place on a tray lined with baking paper
12. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 45-50 minutes.
13. When the Christmas tree has cooled, you can dust it with a small amount of icing sugar to give it a classic look.

A few basic rules for preparing a gallery

The original recipes for the Christmas stole contain not only the exact procedure that must be followed during preparation, but also several steps that should not be omitted, otherwise you may not be completely satisfied with the result.

• Raisins, candied fruit, bark, almonds or nuts must be soaked in rum for several hours before use.
• A true Christmas tree is made from fresh yeast, not dried or baking powder.
• Just like when preparing a Christmas cake, it is also necessary to work the dough very thoroughly by hand or with the help of a food processor.
• Sift flour, semi-coarse, smooth or any other before use.
• Use real butter when baking, not butter substitutes.
• The right tunnel also contains a pinch of spices, most often cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla, cloves can also be used.
• We should properly wrap the baked and cooled stola in aluminum foil and store it in a cool place for at least two weeks. This will ensure a proper distribution of flavors.

The tunnel as a symbol of Christmas

The history of the Christmas gallery dates back to the Middle Ages. The first stola was probably baked in Dresden in the 14th century, from there it soon spread throughout Germany. There are a huge number of recipes for Christmas stew, it can be said that each region has its own version. In addition to Germany, the tunnel is also popular in Austria and Switzerland. Interestingly, it was not originally a dessert, but a type of fasting food.

For this reason, the first recipes also lacked some typical ingredients such as butter or milk, they were baked with only flour, water and yeast. In the 15th century, the Pope lifted the ban on using butter, and the recipe continued to develop and enrich itself over the following centuries.

The typical shape of the gallery is supposed to be a reminder of Jesus in a swaddling clothes. At the beginning of the 18th century, Augustus the Strong organized the “Zeithainer Lustlager” military celebration in Dresden, on the occasion of which a 1,800 kilogram Christmas tree was baked. As a reminder of this event, since 1994, the Dresden Tunnel Festival has been held regularly on the Saturday before the second Sunday of Advent.