Christmas Stollen

Christmas Stollen

This is a tried and true recipe from a friend whom I went through all twelve grades of school.  Dorothy continued for many years to bake her mother's fruit cake recipe for her mother's friends after her mother passed away.   Today she remembers her friends with this Christmas Stollen.  This is a nice make ahead recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brandy or dark rum
1/4 cup diced candied orange peel
1/4 cup diced candied lemon peel
1/8 cup diced candied ginger
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup whole milk
1 (1/4 ounce package) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
3 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 extra-large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Confectioners Sugar

Directions:

The night before baking, in a bowl combine the raisins, currants and cranberries with 1/2 cup brandy and let the mixture soak overnight.  In the morning, add citrus peels, ginger and almonds to bowl and set aside.

Make a starter, heat milk in a small pot over low heat until lukewarm, or about 100 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water, then slowly add warm milk, whisking to break up clumps.  While whisking, slowly add 1 cup flour, stirring until the mixture is homogenous.  Wet a kitchen towel with hot water, wring it out well and use it to cover the bowl.  Set bowl in a warm place with a temp of about 80 degrees and let the least develop for one hour.

Meanwhile, melt butter and pour it into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt, whisking until sugar melts.  Add yolk, whisk until mixture is homogenous, then add lemon zest and nutmeg, whisking to combine.

Once starter is ready, slowly add the butter mixture to it, stirring to combine.  While stirring ad 1 cup flour, then mix in remaining brandy.  Stir in another 1 1/4 cups flour.  If dough becomes to stiff to mix with a spoon, gently knead flour into it.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft, pliable and shiny, 10 minutes.  Form dough into a ball and place in a large buttered bowl.  Cover bowl with a cloth soaked in hot water and wrung out well, and set aside in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Once dough has risen heat oven to 350 degrees.  Gently remove dough from bowl and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Knead dough 2to 3 times, then gently pull and stretch it out until it is as flat as possibleDrain fruit and almonds and mix with 3 tablespoons of flour.  Pour mixture onto dough and roll the whole thing up folding ends over so fruit is encased.  Knead dough to distribute fruit and nuts evenly.  Fruit will fall out of dough at first, just tuck loose pieces back in until everything stays together.  Re-flour work surface to keep dough from sticking.

Divide dough int two pieces.  Pull each piece into a long fairly flat rectangle, about 16 inches long, 5 inches wide and 1 inch thick, the fold loaves in half crosswise so each is now 8 inches long and two inches thick.  Place loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes.  Loaves will spread and flatten a bit during baking.

Remove loaves from oven and, while they are still warm, brush with some melted butter.  Cover with a thick dusting of confectioners sugar.  Allow to cool and dust with another thick layer of confectioners sugar. 

*Wrap well in two layers of plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 1 to 2 weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.