Christmas Stollen

Ingredients

• 150 g raisins
• 75 g currants
• 50 g chopped almond kernels
• 50 g lemon zest (finely chopped)
• 50 g orange zest (finely chopped)
• 50 ml Apple Juice
• 4 drops bitter almond aroma
• 1 vanilla bean (scraped seed)
• 42 g fresh yeast (1 cube)
• 50 g whole cane sugar
• 100 ml lukewarm milk (3.5% fat)
• 500 g spelt flour type 1050
• 50 g marzipan core
• 2 Eggs
• 325 g soft butter (+ 1 tsp for greasing)
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 80 g powdered sugar from whole cane sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the filling, mix raisins, currants, almond kernels, lemon zest, orange zest, apple juice, bitter almond aroma and vanilla seed well; cover and let sit overnight.

2. 2.

   Crush yeast and stir with 50 g sugar and milk until dissolved. Add 200 g sifted flour and knead into a smooth dough using the dough hook of an electric hand mixer. Dust this pre-dough with flour, cover and let rise in a warm place until surface shows cracks (about 20 minutes).

3. 3.

   Cut marzipan small pieces and mix with eggs, 125 g soft butter and salt. Thoroughly knead remaining flour and marzipan-egg mixture into a smooth dough. Finally fold in the soaked, drained fruits. Dust dough with flour and let rise covered for an hour until volume roughly doubles. Grease baking sheet with butter.

4. 4.

   Roll dough to about 20 x 30 cm. Lightly indent the rolled dough on one-third width with the heel of your hand, fold the narrower side over the wider side inward, and press gently.

5. 5.

   Place Christmas stollen on prepared baking sheet, shape lightly (or place a stollen cover), cover and rest another 20 minutes. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C (convection: 160°C; gas: level 2–3) for about 60 minutes. Brush loaf with remaining liquid butter every 20 minutes.

6. 6.

   After total baking time of about 60 minutes, brush finished stollen (test with a stick!) with remaining liquid butter and cool on a wire rack. Then dust half the powdered sugar over it. Wrap in foil and let rest overnight.

7. 7.

   For serving unwrap stollen and serve lightly dusted with fresh powdered sugar.