SOAKING TIME
12 hours
COOKING TIME
1 hour
PREPARATION TIME
30 minutes
(make 1 week in advance)
RESTING TIME
1 hour, 30 minutes
MAKES
2 loaves
Ingredients
For the fruit mixture:
Scant 1 cup/100g chopped almonds
1 ./250g zante currants
1 ./250g raisins
1/3 cup/50g candied lemon peel, minced
2/3 cup/100g candied orange peel, minced
cup/120ml rum
2 drops bitter almond extract
1 vanilla bean
unwaxed lemon, zested
unwaxed orange, zested
For the dough:
2/3 cup/150 ml milk
2/3 cup/90g yeast
1/3 cup/80g honey
4. cups/520g cake flour
22/3 cups/300g plain (all-purpose) flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1. cups/400g butter, softened
Flour, for dusting
1. tsp salt
Butter, for greasing
Flour, for dusting
1 cup/250g clarified butter, melted
1 cup/200g vanilla sugar
Directions
For the fruit mixture: The previous day, mix the almonds, currants, raisins, peels, rum, extract, seeds from the vanilla, and grated zests in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, soften overnight at room temperature.
For the dough: Heat the milk until lukewarm. Crumble the yeast into the milk and stir to dissolve. Mix the yeast and milk with the honey and 200g (1. cups) cake flour to a thick dough. Cover and rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Add the remaining flour, the eggs, egg yolks, and 100g (scant . cup) butter to the starter.
Knead into a dough with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Gradually knead the butter into the dough, until it becomes elastic. Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, until doubled. Knead in the fruit, nuts and salt.
Grease two stollen molds with butter and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 220ÅãC/Gas Mark 7. Divide the dough in half and shape into thick ovals. Use a rolling pin to flatten a little, starting from the middle, then fold the thinner edges in to the centre. Lay the loaves seam-side up in the molds then close. Let rise for 15 more minutes.
Lower the oven to 175°C/Gas Mark 3¾, and bake for 50-60 minutes. Take the stollen out of their molds, let cool a little, and brush all over with butter while still warm. Dust with sugar and let cool completely. Wrap with aluminium foil and rest for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Recipe extracted from The German Cookbook by Alfons Schuhbeck,
published by Phaidon, RRP $90.
