Stollen

Stollen, is a rich, fruit bread dusted with icing sugar, which is traditionally made at Christmas.

Ingredients

Stollen

Photo: DIBI2010 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Procedure

  1. Put the raisins, currents, citrus peel, and cherries in a bowl with the rum/brandy and leave them to soak for at least 1 hour.
  2. In a small bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the water. Leave this for 5 minutes for fresh yeast and 15 minutes for dried yeast.
  3. Sprinkle 1½ tablespoons of the flour into the fruit together with the almonds. Stir the mixture until the flour is completely absorbed.
  4. Warm the milk until it is lukewarm and stir in the remaining sugar until it has dissolved. Then, stir in the lemon rind.
  5. Place all but 2 oz (50 g) of the flour in a large bowl with the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly.
  6. Add the egg and the milk and sugar mixture to the flour and then beat in the softened butter.
  7. Mix everything into a dough, turn it onto a floured work surface and knead it, using the rest of the flour, until it is no longer sticky.
  8. Gradually add the fruit and almonds whilst continuing to knead the dough.
  9. Clean the large bowl and brush the inside with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
  10. Brush the top of the dough with another 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and place it in the bowl.
  11. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
  12. Punch down the dough and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
  13. Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring 12 x 8 inches (30 x 20 cm), and brush it with the remaining melted butter.
  14. Fold two opposite sides of the rectangle towards the middle, overlapping them slightly. Press the joint gently to keep it in place.
  15. Taper the ends of the loaf slightly and push the sides gently together to form a mound in the middle. The loaf should be about 3½ inches (9 cm) wide and 14 inches (35 cm) long.
  16. Place the loaf on a floured baking sheet and brush it with any remaining melted butter. Leave it in a warm place for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
  17. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
  18. Bake the stollen for 45 minutes, or until it is brown and crusty.
  19. Allow the stollen to cool and then sift the icing sugar over the top.