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This Christmas Stollen recipe is courtesy of Joan Weller of
North Plains, Oregon. My daughter, Brenda Weller, introduced the Weller family
recipe to me. We had a fun time together converting the recipe and making it in the bread
machine. Please give this bread machine version a try, as it is so easy-to-make
and so delicious!
Check out Linda's Bread Making Hints:
Secrets to using the bread
machine,
About
yeast in bread making, and learn about the history of
Stollen, Dresden Stollen.
Check out all of Linda's great
Bread Recipes
for your bread making.
Christmas Stollen
Recipe Type:
Yeast Bread, Brunch and Breakfast,
Christmas
Yields: 1 large loaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Candied Fruit and Nut Mixture (see recipe below)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
3/4 cup milk, scalded*
1/2 cup granulated
sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, room temperature or softened
4 3/4 cups all-purpose
flour or bread flour, divided
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)**
4 teaspoons instant active dry
yeast
Powdered Sugar Glaze (see recipe below)
* Scalding
milk - In a heavy saucepan over low heat, heat the milk just until you start
seeing bubbles forming around the inside edges of the pot - do not let the
milk come to a full boil. Immediately remove from the heat as it is now
scalded. You can scald the milk
either on your stovetop or in the microwave oven.
**
Also called gluten flour,
instant gluten flour, pure gluten flour, and vital wheat gluten
depending on vendor and manufacturer. This is flour with the starch and bran
removed. Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm which, when
combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam
from baking, thus helping the bread to rise.
Preparation:
In a large bowl, prepared the Candied Fruit and
Nut Mixture; set aside.
Place all ingredients except the Candied Fruit and Nut Mixture in the bread pan of your bread machine. Select
Quick Dough setting and press start.
Check the dough (don't be afraid to open
the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too
moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the
dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).
When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead the
prepared Candied Fruit and Nuts Mixture into the dough until well distributed.
NOTE: I have found that it works better to knead in the
Fruit and Nut Mixture than add the mixture to the bread machine. The bread
machine tend to tear up the fruit.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the kneaded dough, turning to coat the entire
surface of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled,
approximately 1 to 2 hours (depending on how warm your room is).
Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the
rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will
warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't
comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too
hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit.
Cool or Refrigerator Rise: If I don't have the time to wait for
the rise to finish or I know that I will be interrupted before the completed
rise, I do a cool rise. A cool rise is when the dough is place in the
refrigerator and left to rise slowly over night approximately 8 to 12 hours.
This is my favorite way of rising bread.
 After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and place it on a
lightly-floured surface. Divide the dough into either 3 or 4 parts. Braid the dough
to form the stollen.
Variations:
Small Loaves: Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts depending on how large you want your stollens,
and form into loaves.
Fold Over Method: Press down center lengthwise with rolling pin. Fold over lengthwise 2/3 of the
way.
Place formed stollen loaf/loaves on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray or on a
Silcone Baking Mat. Cover
with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 1 to 2
hours or until doubled (time can vary depending on room temperature).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until loaf sounds
hollow when tapped. A good check is to use an
instant
digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees. Remove from oven and cool on
a bread rack. Let baked loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling).
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and
use in my cooking.
I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my
cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer
shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed
for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen
Thermometer is used by
chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click
on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
While the baked bread is
cooling, make the Powdered Sugar Glaze. Either drip or brush the Sugar Glaze over the slightly warm
bread. Decorate with candied cherries and or nuts (if desired). Let bread completely cool before slicing.
Makes one large stollen loaf.
 Candied
Fruit and Nut Mixture:
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup candied citron
1 (16-ounce) container of mixed candied fruits*
2 teaspoons grated
orange zest
(peel)
1 teaspoon grated
lemon zest (peel)
1 cup almonds or nuts of your choice (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.),
coarsely chopped**
Powdered Sugar Icing (see recipe below)
* Use candied fruits of your choice, such
as candied pineapple, cherries, candied citron.
In place of the some of mixed
candied fruits, I sometimes substitute dried apricots.
** I like to use
sliced almonds.
In a large bowl, combine all the
ingredients; set aside.
NOTE: To keep dried fruit and nuts from sticking together,
add approximately 2 to 3 teaspoons flour (depends on how sticky your mixture is); stir to thoroughly combine.
Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioners’ sugar)
3 tablespoons hot water or milk (your choice)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine
the powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla extract until well combined and
smooth (you may need to add additional hot water or milk).
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