How to Age Stollen Bread

Stollen, the Christmas bread from Germany, has as many variations as traditional holiday fruitcakes -- with some more cakelike and some mostly fruit with a small amount of dough. Traditional stollen recipes require aging or ripening, while many modern recipes don't call for any delay at all between baking and serving. Stollen manufacturers have already aged their breads so you don't have to. When you do age stollen, you need to allow for multiple days between baking and serving the bread, so that the aging process can proceed.

Things You'll Need

Waxed paper, parchment paper or foil
Powdered sugar

Plastic wrap

Instructions

Cover a stollen loaf loosely with waxed paper, parchment paper or foil and leave it out at room temperature for at least eight hours or overnight. Make sure that the loaf has cooled completely and has gotten its first coating of butter and sugar before you wrap it.
Roll the loaf in a second coating of powdered sugar, flavored with ginger or cinnamon if you like. Wrap again, but this time in plastic wrap. Leave the bread out at room temperature for another two days.
Roll the loaf in a third coating of powdered sugar and serve. Once it's aged, stollen keeps for about two weeks kept wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature.

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