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Stollen
Stollen is a sweet yeasted bread flavored with bits
of fruit, served at Christmas and known for its
keeping qualities. A native of Germany and Austria,
and connected with Dresden in particular, stollen is
a must at every holiday groaning board in those
countries.
Because of stollen's high sugar content, we find
you'll make a better loaf by beginning with an
overnight sponge. This bubbly mixture of yeast,
flour and milk is a good base upon which the sugar,
milk, and butter-rich stollen can successfully grow.
Sponge
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
Dough
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup candied cherries, coarsely chopped*
2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose
Flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Topping
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
confectioners' sugar
*The easiest way to chop candied cherries, which
tend to be very sticky, is by snipping each in half
with a pair of scissors.
Sponge: Combine the flour, water and yeast in a
large mixing bowl, stirring till smooth. (Or use
your bread machine, canceling the machine after
several minutes of mixing.) Let the mixture rest
overnight at room temperature.
Dough: Add the flour, butter, egg, milk, sugar,
salt, yeast, almond extract, and vanilla to the
sponge. Stir to combine, then knead thoroughly,
using your hands, an electric mixer, a food
processor or a bread machine, till the dough is very
smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly
greased bowl (or leave it in the bread machine),
cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 1 to
1 1/2 hours. It probably won't double in bulk, but
will become puffy.
While the dough is rising, stir together the dates,
raisins, cherries, flour and almonds. Transfer the
dough to a clean, lightly greased work surface.
Knead the fruit into the dough till it's
well-distributed; a good way to do this is to pat or
roll the dough into a rough 12 x 15-inch rectangle,
press the fruit and nuts evenly over its surface,
then roll it up like a jelly roll, starting with a
long edge. Divide the roll into two pieces, shape
each piece into a rough 9-inch log, cover the logs,
and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Pat each log into a 10 x 8-inch oval. The fruit may
try to "fall out" of the dough; that's OK, just
stick it back in. Fold each oval lengthwise,
bringing one side over the other but leaving a
1-inch gap, as if you were making a Parker House
roll (in other words, fold the dough not quite in
half). Press the edge of the top half to seal it to
the bottom half, tent the dough with lightly greased
plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 2 hours, or
until it's noticeably puffy.
Bake the stollen in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to
35 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil after 20
minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly.
The finished loaves should be golden brown, and
their internal temperature should register 190°F on
an instant-read thermometer. Remove the stollen from
the oven, and brush them with melted butter.
Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When the
stollen are cool, dust them heavily with
confectioners' sugar. Yield: Two stollen, about 14
servings each
Note: For a more traditional stollen, substitute 1/2
cup candied peel, citron or angelica for the 1/2 cup
chopped dates.
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