Festive Favourites: Day Three-Stollen

Happy Tuesday!

Today's recipe comes from yet another European country which is full of culture, flavour and an overflowing amount of scrummy recipes and bakes that are yet to be discovered. Although this recipe has become increasingly popular here in the UK, it still is and always be a traditional German dish. A perfect alternative to Christmas Cake, and impeccable with a glass (or two) of brandy, stollen has quite possibly got to be up there in my list of favourite bakes.

As a Christmas bread, stollen was baked for the first time at the Council of Trent in 1545, and was made with flour, yeast, oil and water. Advent was seen as a time of fasting, so many rich foods such as butter were forbidden during Christmas bakes. Over time, the bread has changed from being a simple, fairly tasteless loaf to one which is sweeter, more dynamic and made with extremely rich ingredients such as marzipan. It has adapted into the loaf we all know and love today, and frankly, it wouldn't be Christmas without it!

As always, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
100ml warm milk
2 tsp dried yeast
Pinch salt
1 tsp caster sugar
225g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 tsp mixed spice
200g mixed dried fruit (including glacé cherries)
25g flaked almonds
50g unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
250g marzipan

25g melted butter
50g icing sugar, sieved

Method:
Pop the milk and yeast into a bowl and mix. Leave to rest for 5-6 minutes. While this is resting, sift the salt, sugar, flour and mixed spice together into a big bowl.
Add in the dried fruit, almonds and butter and again, mix well.
Add the yeast and milk mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the egg and stir to make a dough.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then cover and leave to prove for 20 minutes in a warm place.

Once proved, turn out the dough onto a clean, floured work surface. Using your hands, knock the dough back to reduce the volume, and to remove any air bubbles, then knead for another 3-4 minutes.
Push and roll the dough out by hand into a flat oval shape about 23cm x 18cm.
Next, roll the marzipan into a piece about 18cm x 5cm, and place it into the centre of the dough. Fold over the sides of the dough to seal in the marzipan.
Place the stollen (seal-side down) onto a greased baking tray. Cover and place somewhere warm to prove for another hour.
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Pop the stollen into the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through.
To finish, remove the stollen from the oven, brush with the melted butter and dust with icing sugar immediately.
Leave to one side to cool before cutting in to slices to serve!

Voila!
Another Festive Favourite made simple. And that also means we are once again another step closer to the big day.
Don't forget to pop back tomorrow for another festive recipe!

Happy baking, and merry Christmas

Charley x


*BBC Recipe*

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