Christmas Stollen

Stollen Dough Method

• Mix and wash the sultanas, and currants then allow them to drain. Chop the glazed cherries and place them in a bowl with the peel.
• Add the drained fruit mixed peel and chopped cherries to a large bowl and add the almonds, hazelnuts and rum and leave to soak, preferably overnight if you have time.
• Warm the milk to body temperature (37°c). Break down the compressed yeast or sprinkle the dried yeast, along with 150 gm plain flour and the pinch of sugar. Stir to combine and set aside to rest until it doubled in volume. This should take 5 – 10 mins
• In meantime cream the butter, sugar and salt till light and fluffy.
• Next step is to add the yolks one by one into the mix, don’t worry at this stage if the mix seems to split, due to the ratio of eggs to butter/sugar we’ll bring this back together in the next step.
• Weigh the 550gm of baker’s flour and cinnamon into a bowl and mix well to combine and set aside.
• Going back to the yeasted mix, take a table spoon at a time and mix into the butter/yolk mix until it comes together making a smooth batter.
• Add the rest of the flour/cinnamon and mix it until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl
• Add the fruit to the dough and mix through on a low speed
• Cover and rest for at least 20 minutes
• In the mean time

Homemade Marzipan method

• Make a Sugar Syrup. Combine water and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a full boil for 1 minute, then turn off and leave to cool a little.
• Sift the icing sugar and almond meal into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the glucose and 75g sugar syrup. Mix, then knead to form a firm, smooth paste. Wrap well and keep in a dry place
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces
• Roll the dough into a rectangle
• Divide the marzipan into 2 equal pieces. (Use as much or as little as you like, you can use it all). Roll the marzipan into two tubes, the same length as the fruit dough.
• Fold in marzipan and shape Stollen. The traditional way to fold your Stollen is as I have done in my photo, but you can do what you wish.
• Bake 150 degrees for 40-45 minutes
• When baked, brush liberally with melted butter while still hot and or remaining sugar syrup.
• Dust with vanilla sugar, or icing sugar, place onto a cooling wire and allow to cool completely
• When cold, dust again with icing sugar and wrap in plastic to prevent drying out or put into an airtight container.

Dough Method

Prepare Dried Fruits:

• Wash and drain sultanas and currants.
• Chop glace cherries, mix with mixed peel in a bowl.
• In a large bowl, combine sultanas, currants, cherries, peel, almonds, hazelnuts, and rum. Soak overnight if possible.

Yeast Mixture:

• In the Thermomix bowl, weigh milk, yeast, flour, and a pinch of sugar.
• Set for 3 minutes/37°C/speed 1, then rest for 5 minutes with MC in place.

Butter Mixture:

• Transfer yeast mixture to another bowl if needed or use a second TM bowl. You don’t have to clean the bowl before continuing if you only have one bowl.
• In TM bowl, weigh butter, sugar, and salt. Set for 30 seconds/speed 4.
• Lift and scrape down, add egg yolks, mix again for 30 seconds/speed 4.

Combine Mixtures:

• Add yeast mixture to TM bowl with butter mixture. Mix for 30 seconds/speed 4.

Flour Mixture and Kneading:

• Add baker’s flour and cinnamon. Knead for 3 minutes.
• Lift and scrape down, then add half the fruit mixture, knead for another 3 minutes, adding remaining fruit through the hole in the lid as it's kneading

Resting the Dough:

• Rest in TM bowl or Thermoserver for 30 minutes.
• Homemade Marzipan Method (or you can use shop bought* see tips)

First make a Sugar Syrup:

• Add water and sugar to the TM bowl and set for 1.5 minutes /100°C/ speed 1, then cool slightly.

Marzipan:

• Add icing sugar and almond meal to the TM bowl. With the MC in place mix for 30 seconds/ speed 8
• remove the lid and add glucose and 75g of the sugar syrup you made earlier.
• Mix for 20 seconds speed 3 into a firm paste.
• Shaping and Baking

Divide Dough:

• Into two equal pieces, roll or flatten and stretch into rectangles.

Marzipan:

• Divide the marzipan paste into two, roll into tubes matching dough length.

Shape Stollen:

• Fold in marzipan, shape as desired. Traditionally they're done as the image I've shared. leave to prove for at least 30 mins but if it's cold in your kitchen up to an hour. We don't need them to double in size, this is a heavy loaf.

Baking:

• At 150°C for 45-50 minutes. (I turned mine 1/2 way through)

Finishing Touches:

• While the Stollen is baking weigh around 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1/4 cup of cornflour and sift together for dredging over the Stollen.
• Once the Stollen comes out of the oven brush with sugar syrup while hot.
• Dust with icing sugar, cool on wire rack.
• Once cold, dust again with icing sugar and store in plastic or an airtight container.