The Christmas stollen

Christmas and Dresdner Christmas stollen® - Composition of festivity and tradition
 

The history of the Dresdner Christmas stollen goes back to the year 1400. At that time it pictured the child wrapped in white cloths called Striezel.
 

That traditional cake gave its name to the Dresdner striezel market which is first mentioned in the year 1474 in the citizens chronicle.
 

According to church dogma the Dresdner stollen could only have flour yeast and water as ingredients. But because it was tasteless without butter and milk prince Ernst of Saxony and his brother Albrecht turned to the pope asking for the butter ban to be lifted. The pope gave in and sent a "butter letter" that has gone down in history, to the effect that if they paid a fine they could use milk and butter with a good conscience, and Gods blessing. Since then bakers have been improving it continually.

The saxon royal house also enjoyed stollen. Since the year 1560 dresdens bakers have given their rulers Christmas stollen with a weight of 36 pounds. The work of 8 master bakers and 8 bakers was necessary to carry the stollen to the castle. Nearly 220 years later prince August exceeded all that had been till them.
 

He ordered the baking of a giant stollen weighing 1.8 tons for 24.000 guests at the Zeithainer festivities. The quality today of the Dresdner stollen is possible due to our rising standard of living and the use of high quality ingredients.
 

It will soon be sent to all corners of the earth and fulfils Christmas wishes and sends greetings from Dresden and sourroundings.
 

Even though a basic recipe is there for our stollen every bakers has his own traditional secret recipe. One thing is found in every bakery though. Skill, choice ingredients from various countries and secret spices, together producing a masterpiece of baking.