Christmas Stollen

Packed with spices and fruit and covered with snowy icing sugar, stollen is a traditional holiday bread from Germany. Feel free to use your favorite dried fruit in the fruit mixture.

MAKES: one 11-x 9-inch loaf

PREP TIME: 1 hour

SOAKING TIME: at least 2 hours

RISING TIME: 2 ½ hours

COOKING TIME: 35 to 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit Mixture

• ⅓ cup spiced dark rum
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 to 2 oranges)
• ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots
• ½ cup finely chopped dried cherries
• ¼ cup chopped candied citrus peel
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• ¼ cup currants
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Yeast Sponge
• ½ cup warm whole milk (about 110ºF)
• 2 tsp liquid honey
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp dry active yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• Dough
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp liquid honey
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ¼ cups bread flour
• ⅓ cup lightly packed golden yellow sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
• 1 cup icing sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the fruit mixture, stir together the rum and orange juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ginger and all the dried fruit and peel. Pour the rum mixture over the fruit, stirring to combine. Set aside to soak, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, or overnight, stirring occasionally.
3. For the yeast sponge, pour the warm milk into a medium bowl. Stir in the honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Let stand until puffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the all-purpose flour. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
5. For the dough, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, orange and lemon zests, honey and almond and vanilla extracts in a small bowl. Set aside.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl), whisk together the bread flour, sugar, salt, cardamom and cinnamon. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a hand-held electric mixer). Gradually beat the egg mixture into the flour mixture until well combined.
7. Add the yeast sponge and beat until a rough dough form with the yeast mixture scattered through it.
8. Fit the stand mixer (if using) with the dough hook. Knead the dough, gradually adding the softened butter, one piece at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and leaves it clean. Knead until the dough is smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes.
9. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to bring it together into a ball. (If not using a stand mixer, mix in the egg mixture until well combined, then mix in the softened butter, one piece at a time. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and
   shiny.)
10. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning the dough to coat it evenly with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, or loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
11. Meanwhile, drain the fruit mixture, reserving the fruit and rum mixture separately. Whisk the melted butter into the rum mixture until well combined. Set aside.
12. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
13. On a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough to remove the air. Pat the dough out into a 12-inch disc. Scatter the drained fruit mixture evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, pinching the ends to prevent the fruit from escaping.
14. Fold the rolled-up dough into thirds, then transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Pat or roll it out to an 11-x 9-inch oval.
15.  Make an indentation with a rolling pin or a dowel, slightly off-center along the length of the oval. Fold the dough along the indent, folding the narrower side over the wider side. Gently press down to seal the edges.
16. Cover the baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
17.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375ºF.
18.  Bake the stollen until it’s a deep, golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190ºF, 35 to 40 minutes.
19. Remove the stollen to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes. If the butter in the reserved rum mixture has solidified, microwave the mixture on high power for 10-second intervals until the butter melts. Brush the stollen with the rum-butter mixture.
20. Sift half of the icing sugar over the stollen to coat it generously. Let the stollen cool completely, then sift the remaining icing sugar over it. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the stollen.

BAKING DAY SECRETS

• If you prefer, the shaped stollen can be left overnight to rise in the fridge in Step 16. Cover the stollen and baking sheet completely with plastic wrap to ensure the stollen doesn’t dry out. The next day, let the stollen come to room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes before baking as described in the recipe.