A gift of Stollen, very disappointing!

Sputnik so as not to waste it can you gift it to the local Food Bank?
There will be Turkish/Greek/Cypriot people who will be glad to have it. When you live abroad it is always nice to get familiar foods from your homeland.

We cut up a stollen yesterday and were also disappointed by how dry it was and very little fruit or marzipan to moisten it. Perhaps Germans like it that way? It wasn’t cheap and it was nicely boxed but …… won’t be buying again.
Bread and butter pudding is a good idea ?

I love stollen. They vary a lot, some of them do look pretty dry but they're still delicious. I'd never use butter on then.

We have some lovely new neighbours from Turkey... They gave us some homemade corn bread when we visited - neither I nor DH liked it at all - very dry and too much baking soda - but we were polite. And now the family think we love it and give us more whenever they make it for themselves. So now what do we do?

Anyone watching Christmas University Challenge last night will have heard Stollen described by Jeremy Paxman as a cake-like bread. So I always butter it - and love it!

Make a trifle with it - line a bowl with sliced stollen, soak it in loads of sherry (or your favourite tipple). Shop bought custard, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Easy!

No not a duff one - that is what they are supposed to be like. I'm with you on these - can't see the reason for having them!

Love Stollen. There are differences in what we find in stores here compared to locally German made ones. The mass produced for UK are quite moist whilst home made or traditionally made tend to be less moist but do have more taste. Try warming slightly and dipping in or pour melted butter over if dry.

Oh Witzend! You just triggered lovely memories of my gran’s barmbrack. As well as soda farls and delicious little griddle cakes called “slims”. She never measured or weighed anything, but the results were unfailingly scrumptious.

My husband made one and it was delicious and moist——- but you could toast yours and put on lots of butter,poor neighbour
would be sad to hear it was so dry,nice thought though.

A genuine Dresdener Stollen is quite dry. I once bought one from an expensive cake shop in Dresden and was disappointed.

Our Lidl stollen was lovely , as are their stollen bites. Would custard help to cheer it up?

I think they are awful! Claggy, over sweet and best given to the birds. I used to be given one every year by a lovely German neighbour and I could never bring myself to tell her how I felt. One year I took it to my art class with the hope of passing it on to someone who would appreciate it. No takers……

After extensive research Aldi used to do a rum version which was by far the best ever stollen. Very moist and to die for, so much so, I gained almost a stone in weight! But that was a few years ago now. I've not found a replacement. Aldi’s non rum version is very good though and it really shouldn't be dry.
Is the fruit ok for birds? I wasn't sure if sultanas and raisins were foods they could have?

Loved the tale of your little girl learning to read and thinking it was ‘stolen’ from Sainsbury’s Maw that was too cute!’

I love to hear children learning to read. Our L’il Miss was singing “oh little town of Bethlehem” yesterday but at 5y next month pronounced it as she’d seen it and sang BET le Hem! Made me chuckle.

Sorry to derail folks I’ve never eaten stollen. ??

I’ve been helping Doodle with her research. I’d put M&S ahead of Lidl and Aldi though but it’s three years now since I’ve been able to have some from there. I obviously need to update my research from Aldi and Lidl to make an informed decision.
Seriously I’ve never thought of buttering it, the bites never seem dry.

I usually make ours, you can toast and butter it if its dry.

They really do vary immensely, and I always feel there is not enough marzipan in most. It does tend to be drier/less moist than say a Simnel Cake, which is one of my favourites around Easter.

Stollen vary, as do most cakes. You have definitely been unlucky in getting a dry one - the ones I buy whether here in Denmark or in Germany have nearly always been beautifully moist.

I don't know if there are regional differences though.

I'd probably say Lebkuchen are spicy (with cinnamon etc.) rather then gingery but in any case there are so many different types these days it's easy to find one to your taste. Lübeck is beautiful and my husband loves the marzipan from there. Incidentally, I quite like Béebée - perhaps I should keep it! Schöne Weihnachten!

Béebée it’s easy to find Lebkuchen in the UK. I get it most years. Obviously Aldi and Lidl always do it and other shops too. They are gingery rather than marzipanny, the dark chocolate is a pull, but I prefer marzipan. Lübeck born, it’s a given.
Sorry for your name turning out French, oo la la ! Retried but it’s insistent.

Iceland do a fabulous Stollen as well, really moist and moreish.

Whitewavemark2

Bought one from Betty’s this year.

It arrived. Tiny and frankly I could and have done better myself.

Our Betty's order has just arrived! Crikey we have Stollen Bites included and I'm sure we got it last year and loved it. I hope they haven't changed the recipe. However no matter how it is, I know I couldn't have done better myself, I'm a rubbish baker/cook.

I've lived in Germany for many years now and have tried quite a few different Stollen. Personally I've found most of them too dry so never bother with them nowadays. I don't know if you can find them in the UK but another Christmas speciality is Lebkuchen which are not at all dry and are much nicer in my opinion.

We love Stollen but can't find it anywhere this year. Even Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are out of it. I would have bought it from you!