Stollen

Panettone has been on my Christmas baking list for the last few years. However there will be no panettone this year because I'm making stollen instead. ;)

I've already made small stollens as a Christmas gift for our friends ahead of Christmas. And today (in our NEW kitchen, yay!), I'm going to start the second stollen baking of the season for the families. ;D

It takes a bit of time to make this stollen but it really is worth all the effort when you have a slice of it that is full of Christmasy flavour.

Ingredients:

For the starter

Strong flour 170g

Plain flour 80g

Water 160g

Yeast 7g

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Strong flour 228g

Plain flour 112g

Almond powder 60g

Granulated sugar 40g

Brown sugar 40g

Butter 180g

Egg yolk 2

Mixed spice 1 tbsp

Cinnamon 1/2 tsp

Dried mix fruits 390g (Soaked in rum)

Roasted mix nuts 100g

Coconut flakes 40g

Milk 60g

Rum 1tbsp

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Marzipan 350g

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Butter (Melted) 200g

Icing sugar

1.Make the starter. Combine strong flour, plain flour, water and yeast. Mix well to form a dough. Leave it overnight in the fridge.

2. Take out the starter from the fridge in order to bring it to room temperature.

3. Place all the ingredients except starter, dried fruits, nuts and coconut flakes in a standing mixer. Mix for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together.

4. Add starter into3 little by little. Continue kneading on the standing mixer for 10 minutes.

5. Add the remaining ingredients into 4, knead for a few more minutes. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

6. Take out the dough from the fridge in order to bring it to room temperature.

7. Divide the dough into 7 pieces and make a ball with each piece. Rest them for 10 minutes.

8. Divide the marzipan into 7 pieces and make them into a sausage shape.

9. Roll out the dough, place the marzipan and shape. (see below for how to shape.)

10. Leave them until they are slightly bigger than the original size. (they won't rise as much as normal breads.)

11. Preheat the oven 180ºc. Bake for 40 minutes.

12. Melt butter while the stollens are in the oven. Brush the melted butter on the stollens as soon as they come out from the oven.

13. Cool the stollens completely and dust with icing sugar until they are white. Wrap tight with cling film and rest them for a few days.

14. Dust again with icing sugar before wrapping them as a gift.