Stollen with Almond Paste (Kerststol)

How many calories are in stollen?

At Christmas and New Year in the Netherlands, kerststol is on every breakfast table: a sweet bread with raisins and candied fruit, with almond paste (amandelspijs) in the middle and icing sugar on top. There are 350 calories per 100 g, and a slice (about 50 g) has about 175 calories.

Does stollen raise blood sugar?

Stollen has not been measured on its own, but the international tables give fruit bread in general an index of about 57, which means medium. The load of a slice is about 15, which means medium.

The almond paste in the middle contains almonds and fat, which slow absorption a little, but it also contains sugar. So one slice is reasonable, but the second and third add up fast.

Stollen or krentenbrood?

Both are Dutch fruit breads, but stollen is richer: it has more butter, almonds and sugar, so its calories are higher (350 versus 285 per 100 g). So stollen is for the holidays, and krentenbrood for ordinary days 😄 Read also: Dutch Raisin Bread (Krentenbrood)

How to eat it smartly

• One thin slice at breakfast, with coffee or tea without sugar.
• Use less butter on top: it already has enough butter in it.
• You can eat it with an egg or cheese, so the protein makes the meal more filling.
• Shake the icing sugar off the slice 😉

Lighter alternatives

• Instead of two slices of stollen: one slice with a boiled egg.
• On ordinary days: grain bread with a few raisins.