Like the whiskey cake I posted yesterday, German Stollen is something that’s been around my parents’ house during the holidays for as long as I can remember. We also gave stollen as gifts, to neighbors, teachers, and whoever just looked like they needed a stollen.
Ingredients
| 1 pkg. yeast | 1 egg beaten |
| 1 c. scalded milk | 1 c. raisins |
| 1/3 c. butter or margarine | 1/4 c. currants |
| 1/4 c. sugar | 1/4 c. chopped mixed candied fruits |
| 1 teasp. salt | 2 Tbsp. grated orange peel |
| 1/4 teasp. ground cardamon | 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel |
| 4-4 1/2 c. flour | 1/4 c. chopped almonds |
Chef’s note: I often (living in the middle of nowhere) had no cardamon or currants. I often used larger amounts of candied fruits and always used pecans instead of almonds. I almost never grated the lemon and orange peels. So, you can really wing it depending on your mood!
German Stollen
Preparation
Soften yeast in 1/4 c. warm (NOT TOO HOT!!) water. Combine hot milk, butter, sugar, salt & cardamon; cool to lukewarm (too hot will kill the yeast!). Add yeast & egg; beat well. Stir in fruits, peels & nuts. Add enough flour to make a soft, moist dough. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead ’til smooth & elastic. Place in greased bowl turning once to grease surface. Cover & let rise ’til double in a warm place, about 1 hour & 45 minutes.
Punch down, turn out on lightly floured surface & divide in 3 parts (more if you want to make 4-6 small loaves). Cover & let rest 10 minutes. Roll each part into a 10″ X 6″ rectangle. Without stretching, fold over long side to within 1″ of opposite side. Seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover & let rise ’till almost double, about 1 hour.
While warm brush with glaze made of 1 c. confectioner’s sugar, sifted & mixed with 2 T. hot water and 1/2 teasp. butter or margarine. Makes 3 large loaves or 4-6 smaller ones.
Double the recipe and make smaller loaves to give to neighbors/friends/co-workers for holiday gifts. Great on Christmas morning, made in the shape of a wreath (cooked on a pizza pan).
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (depending on how thick the loaves are – whether you make larger ones or several smaller loaves)
