Stollen is a classic German Christmas bread. Full of dried fruits, citrus, and a whole log of marzipan running through the middle. It is soft, sweet, and fragrant. When I think of Christmas bakes this type of recipe comes to mind. Christmas is the time for rich breads like this one.
Historically, people used to only be able to afford these kinds of ingredients a couple times a year. Often, regular bread recipes would be spiced up to create special bakes for the occasion. And this one is certainly special.
It is the second stollen recipe on my channel. I had made one a few years back. This time I wanted to simplify the recipe by making it without kneading. To convert the recipe a couple of changes had to be made. First, the dough is mixed without the addition of fruit and left to rise until the first fold. The soaked fruits are folded into the dough.
You can adjust the recipe to your taste. Use different fruits, spices, citrus zest, and even swap the alcohol for orange juice. Instead of using milk powder and water you can simply skip the powder and swap the water for milk.
Ingredients
For the rum soaker –
50g (1.75oz) dried cranberries
50g (1.75oz) dried prunes
50g (1.75oz) dried apricots
50g (1.75oz) golden raisins
50g (1.75oz) dates
50g (1.75oz) dark rum
2 oranges worth of zest
For the dough –
250g (8.8oz) white bread flour
8g (0.28oz) instant dry yeast or 9.6g (0.33oz) active dry yeast or 24g (0.84oz) fresh yeast
4g (0.14oz) salt
30g (1oz) honey
50g (1.75oz) butter
1 egg (50g; 1.75oz)
80g (2.8oz) warm water
6g (0.21oz) cardamom pods or 3g (0.1oz) pre-ground cardamom
1g (0.035oz) nutmeg
40g (1.4oz) sliced almonds
20g (0.7oz) milk powder (optional)
200g (7oz) marzipan
To top –
Melted butter
Icing sugar
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
If you are curious about why the dough contains butter, egg, and sugar, click the links to learn more about the effects those ingredients have on bread dough.
Method
- Toast the almonds at 160C (320F) fan on for 6 minutes.
- Make the soaker. Combine the fruits, citrus zest, and rum. Mix well. Leave to soak overnight. Stir at least once to ensure maximum absorption.
- Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, honey, egg, milk powder, and toasted almonds. Mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature 27C (80F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
- Cover and ferment for 40 minutes.
- Flatted the dough and spread the soaked fruits over it in an even layer. Fold up.
- Ferment for 40 minutes.
- Fold.
- Ferment for 40 minutes.
- Flatten the dough, add the marzipan, and fold it over to shape the loaf.
- Final proof for 2 hours. During the final hour of fermentation pre-heat the oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
- Bake the loaf for 50 minutes.
- As soon as it comes out the oven brush it with melted butter and coat with a thick layer of icing sugar. Leave to cool down completely.
- Apply more icing sugar before serving.
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
Watch The Video Here
