Stollen - traditional german christmas bread

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
¼ ounce Active dried yeast; (1 package)
¾ cup Warm water
½ cup Granulated sugar
3 larges Eggs
1 Egg yolk
½ cup Soft butter
3½ cup Flour
1 cup Chopped blanched almonds
½ cup Citronat (candied lemon peel); cut into small pieces
½ cup Orangenat (candied orange peel); cut into small pieces
½ cup Raisins; optional
1 tablespoon Grated lemon peel

Directions

MAKES 1 LARGE OR 2 SMALL

Germans traditionally eat Stollen around Christmastime. This recipe comes from someone I went to school with. She, and her parents, who are from southern Germany, recommended it as quite an authentic recipe. It is indeed a very tasty and rich bread.

(1) Dissolve the yeast in the water and proof it.

(2) Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, butter and half of the flour. Beat for 10 minutes.

(3) Blend in the remaining flour, nuts, fruits, and peel.

(4) Let rise about 1½ hours, until doubled.

(5) Punch down, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

(6) Knead the dough.

(7) Roll into one or two rectangles, butter it, and fold over the edges to make a rolled loaf.

(8) Place on a greased cookie sheet with the folded edges down. Spread with a combination of 1 egg white and 1 Tbsp water. Let rise until doubled in size (45 to 60 minutes).

(9) Bake 30-35 minutes at 375 deg. F until golden brown. NOTES My loaves of stollen come out somewhat wide and short. Some traditionalists make them long and narrow. You can also make them in normal bread pans instead of on cookies sheets, in which case you should increase the baking time somewhat.

RATING Difficulty: moderate. Time: hand-on time: 30 minutes; ris- ing times: 1 ½ hours + overnight + 1 hour; baking time: 30-35 minutes.

Precision: measure the ingredients, though you can experiment with the fruits and nuts.

Recipe by: USENET Cookbook

Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 485 by ctlindab@... on Jan 9, 1998

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