Dresden Stollen ~ Big Sur Bakery

Dresden Stollen
Big Sur Bakery

Nothing brings on a holiday feeling like Stollen which is a bread so common for the Christmas Holidays in Germany.  Perhaps it could be my German ancestral heritage.  While it involves work, the end result is so worth it!

Ingredients: 

For the raisins:
2 cups currants, raisins or golden raisins
3 cups dark rum
For the sponge:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  milk, heated to 
    lukewarm
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Unsalted butter, softened, for coating the bowl
For the stollen:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus extra
   for coating the bowl 
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 vanilla bean
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/4 cups candied fruits or candied zest
1/2 cup unblanched almonds
3 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting 
10 ounces almond paste

Directions:
At least one day ahead or even a month, combine the raisins and rum in a bowl and set it aside.

On Baking day:  Start with the sponge:  In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the lukewarm milk, bread flour and the yeast.  Beat on low speed until a dough is formed, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl that is big enough for the sponge to double in size.  Cover it with plastic wrap, place it in the warm part of the kitchen, and let it rise until it doubles in size, 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the stollen mixture;  In the electric mixer fitted with th dough hook attachment, cream the butter, all the spices sugar and salt together until light and fluffy.  Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, scrape out the pulp with the back of the knife, and add the pulp to the butter mixture.  Add the egg yolks and almond extract, and mix to combine.

Preheat oven to 350*F. 

Drain the currents, reserving the rum.  Drain the candied fruit from syrup if homemade.  Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until very light brown, about 10 minutes.  Cut an almond in half to check the color.  Let them cool completely and then rough chop them.  Toss the candied fruit, currents and toasted almonds together in a bowl and reserve.

In the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sponge, the bread flour mixture and the sponge mixture.  Mix on medium speed until the dough is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.   Flatten it slightly and then roll it out to form a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.  Add 2/3 of the currant mixture, and fold the dough over it.  Add the remaining mixture currant mixture and roll the dough into a ball, making sure to keep a think skin of dough around the currant mixture so that none leaks out.  Place the dough in a buttered bowl that is large enough for it to double in size and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen until it has doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut it in 4 pieces.  Shape each piece into a football shape, keeping the smooth skin on top and tucking the cut edge underneath so that the currant mixture stays inside,  Let the loaf rest for 7 minutes, covered with plastic wrap .  Then working with one piece of dough at a time, flip it over on your work surface.  Punch it to get rid of any bubbles and fold the dough onto itself, almost as if you were rolling it up, to form a football shape.  Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.  Let them rest on the table, loosely covered with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

While they are resting, cut the almond paste into four pieces and roll them to form 4 log shaped pieces 6 inches long.  

Take one loaf and flip it onto a floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll the center of the loaf until it is 1/2 inch thick, creating a cradle about 4 inches wide while keeping the edges thick.  Place a log of almond paste in the center and fold half of the dough over it.  Using the side of your hand, form a crease between the log and two thick pieces of dough.  Doing so should pull the top layer back slightly leaving you with with a loaf of bread if cut crosswise would have three lobes.  Repeat with the remaining loaves and almond paste.  Place the shaped loaves an two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, apart from each other so they can rise until double in size.  Place the baking sheets in large plastic bags and leave them in a warm part of the kitchen for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the dough has almost doubled in size and is spongy to the touch.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375^F.

Bake the stollen for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool 15 minutes.  Once the loaves are cool enough to handle, brush them generously with the reserved rum and the melted butter.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar and dust with powdered sugar.  Eat right away or store at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap.   Makes 4 loaves.  Great for gift giving.

Christmas Bread

Christmas Bread

A Midwest Christmas Tradition

The four layers of the braided dough stand for the four seasons. Nuts and raisins stand for the type of year-mostly nuts represent a good year for farmers and mostly raisins represent a fair year. The youngest boy takes the crust of last year's bread to feed the birds representing God's creatures. A crust from the new bread is saved till next year representing there will always be bread in this home.

***

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

5 1/3 to 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped black walnuts or walnuts

3/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

*

Powdered Sugar Icing

Mix 1 cup confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in more milk 1 teaspoon at a time for a drizzling quality

***

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix warm water and yeast; let stand 5 minutes to soften yeast.

***

In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, sugar and salt just until warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to yeast mixture; stir in egg. Using wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups of flour, the nuts and raisins. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can with the spoon.

***

Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Knead in enough of remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic(6 to 8 minutes total) Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let raise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 1 1/4 hours).

***

Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile grease a large baking sheet. Roll dough into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Cut dough crosswise into 12 one-inch wide strips. On the prepared baking sheet, twist and weave 5 of the strips together pinching the ends and tucking them under the strips. Twist and weave four more of the strips together and place on top of the first layer. Braid the remaining 3 strips and make two more layers. Twist 2 together to place on the second layer. Twist the last strip and place it on top of the third layer. Push in four wooden or metal skewers from top to secure layers.

***

Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes) Bake in 325 oven 40 to 45 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove skewers after bread set. Cool bread on wire rack. Drizzle with icing.

This is a recipe taken from the magazine Midwest Living.

Stollen

Stollen

Frosted and sprinkled with chopped nuts, this is a traditional Christmas bread at our home.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. or cake of yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

1 egg beaten

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped citron*

1/4 cup chopped candied cherries

2 tablespoons melted butter

Confectioners sugar icing

1/3 cup chopped nuts

1 log almond paste (recipe of 12/18)

*note: I use candied pineapple instead of citron.

***

Directions:

Sprinkle or crumble yeast into water, let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Scald milk. Add shortening, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Cool to lukewarm. Sift flour: measure.

*

Add yeast to milk. Add egg. Add 1 cup flour. Beat thoroughly. Add raisins, citron (or pineapple), and cherries. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured board; knead in remaining flour. When smooth, place in greased bowl. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Punch down. Turn out on board; let rest 10 minutes. Roll into an oval 3/4 inch thick. Brush 1/2 of oval with melted butter. Place a flattened log of almond past almost the length of the oval leaving about 1/2 inch at each end of the bread dough and about 3/4 inch wide. Fold dough over like a Parker House roll or divide dough and make two smaller versions. Do not press edges together. 

Place on greased baking sheet. Let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes. Bake in moderate oven 350 F about 30 minutes. 

Spread lightly with icing: sprinkle with nuts.