How to Make a Christmas Stollen

Make a Christmas Stollen this year and forgo the heavy Christmas cake!

Most countries that celebrate Christmas have a tradition cake enjoyed while celebrating the festival. The French have the Bûche de Noël. The Italians, enjoy Panettone, while the Polish have Makowiec, a rolled poppy seed cake glazed with icing sugar.

The Stollen, is a German fruit bread made with yeast, and contains dried fruits, candied citrus peel, nuts and spices. Traditionary marzipan is folded into the dough before baking. If that’s not to your taste, it can easily be left out of the recipe.

The classic shape of a lopsided pyramid is created by carful rolling out. I’ll show you how to do this  step by step. Don’t be put off the list of ingredients, it’s not as difficult as it looks.

You will need.

• Tabletop mixer or large mixing bowl.
• Baking tray
• Baking paper
• Rolling pin
• Whisk
• Med jug
• Small bowl

Christmas Stollen.

The dough.

• 320g                            Strong Bread Flour
• 1pkts                           fast action yeast (15g)
• 150ml                          milk (lukewarm)
• 80g                              soft unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp.                          salt
• 1                                  egg yolk
• 45g                              caster sugar
• 1tspn                           vanilla essence
• finely grated zest of ½ Lemon
• 1/8tsp                          fresh grated nutmeg
• Pinch                           ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp                         ground cardamom
• 2tbspn                         dark rum
• 2tbsp                           warm water    
• 100g                            mixed peel
• 180g                            sultanas
• 60g                              flaked almonds
• 150g                            marzipan
•                                     Melted butter and icing sugar for coating

 Christmas Stollen – Soaking the fruits.

The night before baking, take a small bowl and add the mixed peel and raisins. Pour the warm water and rum over the fruit and mix well. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to stand overnight.

Christmas Stollen.

As this is quite a rich dough, so we are going to make a ferment. This is simply a yeast batter that lets the yeast begin to work before been exposed to high volumes of fat or sugar.

Making a Ferment.

Sieve the flour into the mixing bowl, then take about 100g of the flour and put it to one side.

Make a well in the centre of the flour then crumble the fresh yeast if using into the well and pour in the milk or pour in the dried yeast / milk mix. Stir lightly to dissolve the yeast then mix in a little flour but not the full amount. This will form a thin batter that will allow the yeast to get a foothold in the mixture. Cover the bowl and leave for about 10 to 15 mins so the mix begins to froth.

Christmas Stollen – Making the dough.

In a second bowl beat the egg with the sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest and spices then add to the flour mix and mix well to form a dough. Cover the bowl again and leave to rise in a draught free place for half an hour.

Christmas Stollen – finishing the dough.

Once the dough has relaxed and the yeast is working, it’s time to add the butter.

Take the butter and work in the remainder of the reserved flour to thicken the butter a little. This will make it easier to work the butter into the prepared dough. Knead the mix into the dough without overworking it, then fold in the soaked fruits and almonds.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size. While the dough is rising make ready some melted butter to coat the Stollen.

Christmas Stollen – Rolling the dough.

When the dough is well risen, tip it out onto the work surface knock it back lightly. Then form the dough into a ball and place to one side. Take the marzipan and roll it out into a rectangle 25cm long and about 5mm thick.

Put the mazipan to one side and bring the ball of dough back into the table and dust with a little flour. Using your hands for the dough into a shape 28cm long, then take a rolling pin and press down the centre of the shape. Roll the pin back and forth to roll out the dough aiming for the centre of the dough to be roughly 6mm thick and the top and bottom of the shape to be about 4cm in thickness. Think of it like looking at a pair of lips on the worksurface.

Christmas Stollen – Folding the Stollen.

Brush the centre section (the thinnest part) of the dough with melted butter, then lay the rolled sheet of marzipan on top. Take the edge of the dough nearest to you and fold it away from you over the marzipan. Now lift the top edge of the dough towards you enveloping the first fold. It should not quite fold all the way over as this will create the classic shape.

Christmas Stollen – Baking.

Lift the folded Stollen onto a lined baking tray. I would advise using a baking mat or layering up a few sheets of baking paper on the tray. As I found out, the rich dough will overbake on the bottom if it’s not protected. Lightly drape a piece of clingfilm over the Stollen and leave to prove until double in size.

Bake at 200˚c (180˚c fan oven) for 35 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180˚c (165˚c fan oven) for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

When ready, remove and brush the surface of the Stollen with melted butter, then dust liberally with icing sugar. You may find it necessary to dust more icing sugar over the Stollen as it cools.

When it has cooled completely, transfer the stollen to an air-tight tin. Try to leave the Stollen a day or two before eating.

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