German Stollen

For the Dough:

1 cup lukewarm whole milk
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour NOTE: Amount will vary depending on how much liquid is in your fruit/nut mixture. Be sure to drain any excess liquid. Add more flour as needed if dough is too wet. (Gluten free, substitute 1:1 GF flour.)
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) , at room temperature so it’s very soft
2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 teaspoon ground mace (recommended but can substitute nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces Homemade Marzipan/Almond Paste , divided in half (you can omit the marzipan if you prefer)
or store-bought marzipan/almond paste

For the Fruits & Nuts:
9 ounces raisins
3 ounces candied lemon peel , finely diced
3 ounces candied orange peel , finely diced  (recommend using homemade, it makes ALL the difference!)
3 ounces blanched slivered or sliced almonds, finely chopped

1/3 cup quality dark rum

For the Glaze & Dusting:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Powdered sugar for generous dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the raisins, candied citrus peel and almonds in a medium bowl and pour the rum over it. Stir to combine. Set aside and let the fruit mixture soak in the rum while the dough rises.

Stir the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the lukewarm milk and let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until very frothy.  Place the flour, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, cardamom, mace and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast/milk mixture. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together. Knead the dough on the bread setting for 7-8 minutes. Remove the dough ball, lightly spray the bowl with a little oil, return the dough ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place or lightly warmed oven (just barely warm), to rise until nearly doubled in size, at least 1 hour (likely closer to 2 hours depending on the temperature of the environment).

Punch down the dough and add the soaked fruit/nut mixture to the dough (it should have absorbed all the rum by now but if there is excess liquid, pour it out before adding the mixture to the dough). Using the dough hook, knead the fruit/nut mixture into the dough until combined. If the dough is too wet to handle, add a little bit of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it in two equal halves. Press or roll each piece into an oval to about 1 inch thickness. Roll each piece of marzipan into a log the length of the oval. Press the marzipan gently into the middle of the dough. Fold the left side of the dough over to cover the marzipan, then fold right side over on top of the left side so that the edge of it sits just left of the middle of the stollen.   In other words, don’t fold the right side all the way over to the left edge of the stollen. Pinch and tuck the top and bottom ends of the stollen to cover the marzipan. Use the bottom edge of your hand to press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump.  

Place the stollen on a lined baking sheet. Cover the stollen loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm place or lightly warmed oven for 40-60 minutes until puffy. At that point you can pick off any raisins that are sticking out of the dough (they will burn during baking). 

Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the stollen for 30-40 minutes or until golden. You can use an instant read thermometer to aim for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. Let the Stollen sit for 5 minutes, then use a toothpick to poke holes all over the stollen (this will allow the butter to seep in), then generously brush the stollen with the melted butter while the stollen are still warm. Immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar, rubbing it into the creases and down the sides. Let the stollen cool completely. You may want to give it another dusting of powdered sugar once cooled.

The stollen can be sliced and eaten now or wrapped tightly (wrap in plastic wrap then foil) and left to "ripen" in a cool place for 2 weeks. The liquid from the dried fruits will further penetrate the dough for more flavor and moisture. Stollen can also be frozen for longer storage.

Makes 2 large or 3 medium Stollen.

For eating, warm the slices up for a few seconds in the microwave, it makes the crumb nice and soft.

My mother used to make a simpler version of this delicious Christmas bread. She baked it in a coffee can and would often glaze it with frosting and take it to neighbors as Christmas gift. As I remember it, her version was basically a slightly sweetened yeast bread with fruit, and maybe some almonds worked into it. I don’t think she used any powdered sugar on it, but I do remember really loving the bread and also the trips to neighbors to deliver it for a Christmas morning treat.

To make your own marzipan or almond paste (it’s really easy, takes five minutes):

1 1/2 cups very finely ground blanched almond flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 teaspoon food grade rose water

1 egg white OR 3 tablespoons water OR 3 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as agave syrup, corn syrup, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract and rose water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white or water/liquid sweetener and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add some more almond flour. If it's too firm to shape well, just add a tiny bit of water. Keep in mind that the marzipan will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.  Turn the marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe. Makes 13-14 ounces.

NOTES:  To make a firmer Marzipan that you can shape into figures for decorations, add 1/4 cup or more of sugar until you reach the desired level of firmness (keep in mind it will also become firmer after it refrigerates).