It's the height of summer outside, but Saxony's stollen bakeries are already ringing in the pre-Christmas season. Retailers are already busy baking because the first stollen should be on the shelves in September, said Karoline Marschallek, Managing Director of the Dresden Stollen Protection Association. Some of the large bakeries even started in May because the traditional baked goods need to be stored properly.
Stock up like a bear before hibernation
At Annaberger Backwaren GmbH, the 35 employees in the bakery already took the first stollen out of the oven the week before. "We have to start early to make the quantities," said Managing Director Martin Hübner. It's like a bear stocking up before going into hibernation.
According to Hübner, the stollen is baked on two days to start with. Production is then ramped up in September. In the run-up to Christmas, the number of employees increases by another 20.
