Holiday Stollen

Holiday preparations are a busy time everywhere, and were no less so on our Alaskan homestead years ago.  

Outside was very cold, with snow all around, but inside our small homestead cabin we were warm from a stove, fired by wood, cut from our one hundred and sixty acre site.  The air we breathed had just a tinge of smoke which escaped from the burning logs.  Some evenings, my father would find time to relax and entertain us with carols, like Silent Night, Oh Tannenbaum,  and Jingle Bells, which he sang in Swedish, and strummed each tune on the mandolin.  Our brown, Chesapeake dog, Scamp, lay close beside him thumping his tail now and again it seemed in rhythm.  A few feet away, in the kitchen/dining area, Mother and I measured out ingredients, kneaded and shaped stollen loaves.  As part of the traditional foods from her American German heritage, stollen was essential each year.  The sweet aromas of the loaves coming from the oven brought my brothers down from the loft and around the kitchen table with the rest of us for a slice of the fruit rich sweet bread, glazed to perfection. 

Over the years in my cooking courses here in London we have made stollen loaves for the kids to take home to share.  They have enjoyed the bread made without Marzipan overall.  Thus, I have made it an optional ingredient in the courses.  I have done the same in the following recipe.

Ingredients:                  Makes 3 medium size loaves

1 package active dry fast-acting yeast

1 cup/240 ml/8 oz skim milk

8 Tablespoons/100g/4 oz butter or baking margarine

1/4 cup/2 1/2 oz/75 g white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

4 1/2 cups/500g/l lb. 2 oz plain flour

1 beaten egg

1 1/4 cups/ 190 g/7 oz raisins

1/4 cup/50g/2 oz chopped, mixed candied fruits

1/4 cup/50g/2 oz flaked blanched almonds

zest from one orange, coarsely grated

zest from one lemon, coarsely grated

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

375g/14 oz Marzipan (optional), if using, divide given amount into thirds

Glaze

1. In a small glass bowl, heat milk and butter in the microwave for about one minute to melt the butter.
2. In another, large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cardamom, raisins, candied fruits, almonds, and grated zest from orange and lemon.  Stir in the yeast.
3. Whisk the egg into the slightly cooled milk and butter.  Add the almond extract.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir.
4. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until elastic; about 5 minutes.
5. Divide dough into 3.  Pat each piece into a 10x6 inch (25cm x 15cm) rectangle.  Place a rope of Marzipan in the middle lengthwise if using.  Fold the long side of the dough over to within 1 inch of the opposite side.  Place on a baking sheet.  Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour.
6. Bake in a 375F/180C oven for 15 minutes, or lightly browned.
7. Remove from oven and brush with glaze.
8. Glaze:  Combine 1 cup/100g icing sugar, 2 tablespoons hot water, and one teaspoon butter.   Decorate with candied cherries or silver balls.
9. Enjoy!