Christmas Stollen Bread
A German Christmas classic, updated with crystallized ginger.
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 3 teaspoon yeast, or 1 ½ packets (you can pour the packets into a small bowl and measure from there)
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (one stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon allspice or mace
- ⅓ cup candied citrus peels, chopped finely (I use a mix of orange and lemon)
- ⅓ cup golden or regular raisins
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup slivered or sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup dark rum
- ⅓ cup crystallized ginger, chopped finely
- 1 Tbl lemon zest (optional)
- 2 Tbl melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add candied citrus peels, raisins, cranberries, and almonds into a small bowl, and pour the rum over them. Stir to mix well, and then set aside for later.
- Combine the yeast and lukewarm milk and set aside to let the yeast bloom.
- Add the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice or mace, and lemon zest (if you're using it) to a mixing bowl, and mix until well blended. Then add the flour, and mix. It will look dry and crumbly at this stage. Finally, add in the milk and yeast mixture and mix until just combined. If the dough is unreasonably sticky, add 1-2 more Tbl of flour to help it to come together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Lightly grease the mixing bowl and turn the dough ball around to coat all sides. Set aside to rise in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. You can put it in your cold or very lightly warmed oven to keep it away from drafts. At the 1-hour mark, check the dough. If it has not fully doubled in size, allow to rise for another 15-30 minutes.
- Lightly grease or cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, tip out the dough and spread it out flat. Then drain off any excess liquid from your fruit and rum mixture, and sprinkle the soaked fruits and nuts onto the dough. Roll or fold the dough over to contain the fruits, and then knead for 1-2 minutes to distribute the fruit evenly throughout the dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal sections, and then roll each section into a rope about 16" long. Press the ends of the three ropes together, and then braid them, pressing the tips of the ropes together again when you reach the end.
- Tuck the ends under the loaf to tidy it up, and then transfer your braided loaf onto your baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and allow to rise again in a warm place for another 30-45 minutes.Preheat your oven to 350℉ while the dough rises a second time.
- After the dough has risen, bake for 40-50 minutes, until the internal temperature has reached 190℉. Then remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. Then transfer to a cooling rack.