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Christmas Stollen

Today I am baking a Christmas Stollen - a dense cake with a lot of candied fruits and nuts. The dough also contains spices and rum, making it incredibly delicious. This cake originates from Germany and is a traditional Christmas bake. I must admit, the recipe is labor-intensive but not difficult.

You need to bake the Stollen in advance because it should mature in a cool place for 2-3 weeks. During this time, the Stollen will only enhance its flavor, amazingly, right? So it's time to start preparing for the Christmas holidays!

By the way, a Stollen like this can be nicely packaged and will be a great gift for close friends!

For the filling:

Raisins

1 cup

Dried cranberries

1 cup

Candied kumquats

1/4 cup

Candied pomelo

1/4 cup

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

Dark rum

1/2 cup (100 ml)

Nuts (mixed hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts)

1 cup

For the sponge:

Yeast (fresh)

1/4 cup

Sugar

1 tablespoon

Milk

3/4 cup (warm)

Flour

2/3 cup

For the dough:

Sponge

Sugar

1/3 cup

Egg yolks

Almond flour

1/3 cup

Salt

Pinch

Cinnamon

2 tsp

Ginger

1/2 tsp

Cardamom

1/4 tsp

Ground cloves

1/4 tsp

Nutmeg

1/4 tsp

Ground black pepper

1/4 tsp

Flour

3-4 cups

Softened unsalted butter

1 cup (2 sticks)

Melted unsalted butter

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp)

Powdered sugar

2/3 - 3/4 cup

To prepare Stollen, start by preparing the candied fruits and dried fruits. Rinse the raisins and cranberries first in cold water, then in boiling water. Drain the water and pat dry with paper towels.

Thoroughly wash the orange and grate the zest, we need a thin orange layer. Squeeze the juice from the orange.

Finely chop the candied fruits (kumquat and pomelo) into pieces the size of raisins. Also finely chop the orange zest.

Place the prepared dried fruits, candied fruits, and orange zest in a jar, add orange juice and dark rum. Close the lid, shake well, and let it infuse for at least overnight, but preferably for a day or two. Shake the jar periodically, mixing the dried fruits.

Prepare the sponge. Add sugar and milk to the yeast, mix until smooth. Then add flour, mix. Leave the sponge in a warm place to rest for 30 minutes.

If there are small lumps in the dough, it's okay, nothing to worry about. Fresh yeast can be replaced with dry yeast, you will need 15 g.

Once the sponge has risen well, stir it and prepare the dough.

If the sponge did not rise, it means the yeast was not of good quality. It's better to start the whole process again, using good quality yeast.

Add sugar, egg yolks, almond flour, salt, spices to the sponge, mix everything.

Then add half of the flour and mix everything with a spatula. Sprinkle some more flour on the work surface, place the dough and knead it for some time on the table. Next, we need to incorporate the butter into the dough, do this in batches, mixing both the butter and the remaining flour at the same time.

As a result, we get soft and non-sticky dough. Place the dough in a convenient container, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, deflate it, cover it again with a towel, and let it rise again for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the nuts. Chop them coarsely and toast them slightly (until fragrant) in a dry pan.

You can use any nuts, I used a mix of hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts.

Roll out the risen dough on the work surface, shape it into a large disk, and place the filling on top (nuts, dried fruits, candied fruits). We need to gently incorporate all the filling into the dough. It may seem like there is too much filling, don't worry, it will gradually mix in. If the dough sticks too much to your hands, you can add flour but not more than 50-70 g.

The soaked dried fruits should completely absorb the juice and rum, but if there is still some liquid left, it should be drained before adding to the dough.

How to shape the Stollen? You can use a special mold, but if you don't have one, it's not a problem. Divide the dough into parts - from this amount of dough, you will get 3 medium Stollen or 2 large ones. Take a portion of the dough, roll it into a small disk, fold it almost in half. Seal the edges of the Stollen well, it should not be flat.

Place the shaped Stollen on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I made folds between them so that the dough does not spread too much during baking. Let them proof for about ten minutes while the oven preheats.

I baked the Stollen at a temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit in convection mode for 35 minutes, adjust according to your oven. The standard top and bottom heat mode will require more time, and it all depends on the size of the Stollen. Make sure to check for doneness with a wooden skewer. Once cooled, generously brush the Stollen with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar on all sides.

Then wrap the Stollen in baking paper, and then in foil.

Place the Stollen in a cool place to mature for 2-3 weeks. It is believed that only after 2-3 weeks the Stollen acquires its true taste and aroma. Of course, I cut into one Stollen the next day. It is incredibly delicious and aromatic, this baked good is a celebration in itself!

(5/5)