Dresden Stollen Recipe
Recipe Type:
Yeast Bread,
Christmas Bread
Cuisine: German
Yields: 2 loaves
Prep time: 2 hr
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry
yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 cup milk, scalded*
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated
sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose
flour or bread flour, divided
1
egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup white raisins
1/2 cup candied fruit (Cathy uses pineapple and cherries)
2 teaspoons grated
orange zest (peel)
1 teaspoon grated
lemon zest (peel)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.)
Powdered Sugar Icing (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.
Preparation:
In a medium-size bowl, soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water
Cover with plastic wrap and ferment approximately 20 minutes until the sponge is
very foamy.
In a large bowl, combine the
warm scaled milk, butter, sugar, salt and
cardamom; let cool to lukewarm. When cool, mix in 2 cups flour and beat
well. Add yeast (sponge) mixture and egg, beating well. Stir in raisins,
candied fruit of your choice, orange zest, lemon zest, and nuts. Add enough
additional flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. On a floured surface,
knead the dough until smooth, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire
surface. Let rise until doubled, approximately 1 to 2 hours (depending on how warm your room is).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large heavy baking
sheet. Prepare Powdered Sugar Icing.
After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and place
onto a lightly-floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts depending
on how large you want your stollens. NOTE: I cut it
into thirds if I'm giving them as gifts. Cover the let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll each dough piece into a 10- x 6-inch rectangle and fold
in 1/2 lengthwise to within one (1) inch of the opposite side. Place dough
on prepared baking sheet, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in volume, approximately 1 hour.
After dough has risen, bake approximately 20
to 30 minutes or until golden brown. A good check is to use an instant
digital thermometer to test your bread. The
temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.
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.
Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack and cool slightly.
While still warm, spread the
Powdered Sugar Icing over the top of the stollen. Decorate with candied
fruit and chopped nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Stollen can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool
completely. Wrap stollen in plastic and store at room temperature.
Makes 2 stollen loaves.
Powdered Sugar Icing:
1 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
2 teaspoons hot water
2 teaspoons butter, room temperature
In a small bowl, combine
powdered sugar, hot water, and butter until smooth.
