German Stollen
Stollen is a traditional German bread-like fruitcake, usually eaten during the Christmas season. Stollen was baked for the first time as a Christmas pastry at the Saxon Royal Court in 1427. The well known Dresden Stollen (originally called Striezel) was first mentioned in an official document in 1474.
The characteristic shape of Stollen--oblong, tapered at each end with a ridge down the centre--is said to repersent the Christ Child in swaddling clothes, whence the name Christollen sometimes given to it. The Dresden Stollen, now known internationally as a Christmas specialty, is made from a rich, sweet yeast dough, mixed with milk, eggs, sugar, and butter, sometimes flavoured with lemon. Raisins, sultanas, currants, rum or brandy, candied peel, and almonds are worked into the dough. After baking, the Stollen is painted with melted butter and dusted with sugar. It may then be further decorated with candied fruits. Marzipan is added to some commercially produced stollen.
I tried making this one year using the Tangzhong method for 1 loaf, but the bread was way too moist. I was hoping the stollen would stay moister longer, not make the crumb itself a lot moister. The internal temperature was 190 degrees F. so I do not think it was underbaked. I will not make it this way again.
To make just 1 loaf: Use the measurements in parentheses. Note, this is quite a large loaf and you may want to cut the recipe back to 1/4.
Fruits & Nuts:
1 1/2 cups raisins, or currants (1/2 cup)
1 cup golden raisins (1/3 cup)
1 cup (= 1/2 pound) candied fruit (1/3 cup)
1 cup chopped blanched almonds (1/3 cup)
1/2 cup dark rum (1/6 cup)
Topping:
1/2 cup melted butter to brush over dough (1/6 cup)
Confectioner's sugar to dust top of dough
Bread:
2 envelopes (= 5 teaspoons) dried powdered yeast (1 2/3 tsp.)
1/2 cup lukewarm water (1/6 cup)
2 cups milk (2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon salt (1/3 tsp.)
1 tablespoon butter (1 tsp) [some recipes add a lot more butter - I added 4 Tbsp. to the 1/3 recipe]
Grated rind of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (1/6 tsp.)
1 teaspoon cardamom (1/3 tsp.)
6 - 7 cups flour (bread flour, if you have it) (2 - 2 1/3 cups)
4 eggs, lightly beaten (2 eggs)
1 cup sugar (1/3 cup)
Night before: Soak raisins, candied fruit and almonds in rum. Keep at room temperature. In the morning, drain and set aside, reserving rum.
[Note: Many recipes have you soak the fruit in the alcohol for a day when making Fruitcake, especially if using dried fruit rather than candied fruit. Some recipes even tell you to soak it for a minimum of one week, and up to a year! You could soak the fruit longer in this recipe, although I never have any extra run left so add extra. And if you let this sit for several days, you will still not have any extra rum left over.]
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Scald milk. Pour into mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar (1/3 tablespoon if making 1 loaf), salt, butter and orange zest. Stir in reserved rum. Cool to lukewarm.
When milk has cooled, stir in yeast, nutmeg, cardamom and 2 cups of flour (2/3 cup if making 1 loaf). Mix well and set in warm draft-free place for 15 - 30 minutes.
Stir in lightly beaten eggs, sugar, and the fruit and nut mixture. Gradually mix in remaining 4 to 5 cups flour (1 1/3 - 1 2/3 cups if making 1 loaf). Dough should be soft, but not sticky, just dry enough to be handled. Knead dough on a floured work surface for 5 minutes.
Place dough in lightly greased bowl, grease the top of the dough, cover with a cloth and put in draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
Punch dough down, return to floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
Cut into three equal pieces. Roll or flatten each piece into an oval 3/4 inch thick, and fold in half lengthwise.
Brush top of each with melted butter and sprinkle with a little confectioner's sugar. [I just brush with butter and dust with sugar after it comes out. The confectioner's sugar kind of just sits there and interferes with brushing on butter later.] Place loaves on buttered baking sheet or jelly-roll pan. Covered loosely, and leave in warm place for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until risen about 2/3 larger.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake loaves for 35 - 45 minutes, or until loaves turn golden brown. [They will turn quite brown.]
[One website said "Don’t be tempted to overbake it: stollen is better a bit squidgy than dry and crusty." I baked these for 30 minutes once because they looked quite brown and sounded hollow when tapped on the bottom. They were still a bit raw in the middle. Bake at least 35 minutes, or even 40 minutes; the loaves are quite large. Stick a skewer in to see if there is still raw dough in the center of the loaf, like testing a quick bread. Internal temperature should be 185°.]
Brush with butter and dust with confectioner's sugar. [Traditionally, it is glazed with several layers of melted butter and icing sugar to keep it fresh."] Let cool on wire racks.
Wrap tightly in foil and keep in a cool place for 2 to 3 weeks to ripen. [I never do this. Bake the day before you plan to eat it; it tends to dry out.]
When ready to serve, dust with another sprinkling of confectioner's sugar.
Yield: 3 loaves
