Christmas Stollen

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Christmas Stollen

So I love to try new things and sometimes need a little encouraging to try something that may not sound good even to me. This is one of those recipes that, had I been looking though a cookbook for something good and yummy to bake, I would have passed right over it. One, because of the fruit, nuts ,and bread combo. I have never been a fan of fruit or nuts in bread. I love the texture of bread all on its own without any added fluff. I will have to say this will probably be a recipe that I put on my exception list.

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients

¼ cup lukewarm water (110º F)

2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 cup milk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

(can use salted butter) (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)

5½ cups flour

½ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract or orange extract 

 1 cup chopped dates 

3 tablespoons each of orange and lemon juice mixed together 

12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste.

(optional)

1 cup (240 ml) (3 ½ ozs) (100 grams) flaked almonds

Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath

Confectioners’ (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreath

Directions:

Soak the Dates

To make the dough

Pour ¼ cup  warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup milk and 10 tablespoons butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt)  (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. 

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

1. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.

2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

 3. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches  and ¼ inch  thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.

 

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.

Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size. (If your in Arizona like me you may only need to let the dough proof for about an 1- 1 1/2 hours considering room temperature is about 78 instead of the normal 72) 

Preheat oven to moderate 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.

Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.

Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.

The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.

Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

I ended up bringing the bread to our family Christmas party the same day that I made this bread and everyone seemed to like it a lot. However It didn't all get eaten so I wrapped it up when I got home and actually forgot about it for a few days. I'm sooo glad that I did because I cut off a slice this morning, toasted it and put on a little butter and it tasted a hundred times better. So if your not a complete procrastinator like myself  try making this a few days in advance because it really is better the next day (or week) later.

Stollen Wreath