Homemade Christmas stollen with marzipan
Prep: 40 min · Cook: 40 min · Makes: 1 large stollen (12 slices) · For:
Stollen is the Christmas bread from Germany that has found its way onto breakfast tables all over the world: a soft, buttery loaf full of fruit and peel, with a ribbon of marzipan in the middle and a thick coat of sugar snow on top.
Baking it yourself is easier than you might think, and the smell of warm bread, lemon and cinnamon filling the house is part of the joy.
Tips
- Warm, not hot. Lukewarm milk wakes up the yeast; hot milk kills it.
- Knead in the fruit by hand after the first rise, so the dough rises better.
- Butter and sugar twice. It keeps the stollen moist and gives it its snowy look.
Serve it
In thick slices with butter for Christmas breakfast, with a cup of tea in the afternoon, or toasted the day after.
Little helpers
Children can knead the dough, roll the marzipan log and do the snowy dusting at the end.
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups bread flour (500 g)
- 1 packet instant yeast (2¼ tsp)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup minus 1 tbsp lukewarm milk
- 1 egg
- 7 tbsp soft butter
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1⅓ cups raisins and currants
- ½ cup candied citrus peel, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped almonds
- 9 oz marzipan
- 2 tbsp butter, melted, for brushing
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the milk, egg and soft butter and knead for about 10 minutes by hand (or 6 minutes in a stand mixer) until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead in the raisins, currants, peel and almonds. It takes a few minutes; some fruit will keep popping out, just push it back in.
- Pat the dough into an oval of about 12 x 8 inches. Roll the marzipan into a log just shorter than the dough and lay it slightly off-center along the length.
- Fold the larger side over the marzipan, not quite to the edge, and press down to make the classic stollen shape. Put it on a lined baking sheet, cover and leave to rise for another 45 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
- Brush the hot stollen with the melted butter and dust thickly with powdered sugar. Let it cool, then dust again.
Questions
How long does stollen keep?
Wrapped tightly in foil, about a week at cool room temperature. It actually tastes better after a day or two. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
Can I make it without marzipan?
Yes. It is still a lovely fruit bread. Some people roll in a layer of almond paste instead, or nothing at all.
Why did the fruit burn?
Fruit on the surface catches easily. Push any loose raisins into the dough before baking.
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