Riddlehaus Christmas Stollen

 

Merry Christmas 2023!

One of the first Christmas traditions I remember from growing up, other then laying under the lights of a sparkling Christmas tree, is Stollen. Both my mother and grandmother made Stollen. Both their end results were very different. My mother's recipe, which came from the original "Joy of Cooking" was lighter than my Grandmother's which was much more dense. In my experience, there are a myriad of definitions of Stollen. (just google it and look at the photos) Some recipes only use raisins, some add a core of almond paste, some are more buscuit like in their consistency and some, like this one, are more like a brioche. This recipe is how I like Stollen. It is a light, flaky enriched dough with lots of candied and rum soaked fruits. I would add nuts but I have one son in the house that doesn't like nuts. This was my first time making an enriched dough which was fun. I was pleasantly surprised with how lovely the dough turned out. The recipe does require several steps, but don't be affraid, they are all worth it. This recipe makes one loaf, but it doubles well if you need more than one. 

Riddlehaus Christmas Stollen

Ingredients:

1 cup candied fruit peel

1 cup assorted dried fruits: I used raisins, cherries, cranberries and apricots

3 tbsp rum

1 package rapid rise dry yeast

3/4 cup whole milk warmed to between 105 to 115 degrees

3 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

14 tbsp very soft butter

1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

These are the ingredients for a double recipe

Directions:

1. Prepare your fruit:  in a bowl, combine your chosen dried fruits with the rum, then add boiling water to just cover. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes or up to three days. 

2. Start your dough: In the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. With the mixer on low, slowly add the warm milk. When the milk is incorporated, add eggs, zest and vanilla. When the dough comes together, knead by hand or mix on low with the dough hook for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you don't have a mixer with a dough hook, make a pile of the dry ingredients on your counter, and make a well in the middle so it looks like a volcano. Slowly add the milk to the middle of the dry indredient well, and knead to incorporate. Do the same when adding the eggs and flavorings. 

That's a lot of butter!!

3. Adding the butter (enrich the dough): With the mixer on low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough is once again smooth. *This looks super strange at first, but have patience, it will be amazing* Doing this bit by hand is much more messy than using the mixer but it does eventually work. 

4. Add the fruit and nuts: Drain the liquid from your soaked fruits. When the butter is incorporated and the dough is elastic again, add the soaked fruits, candied citrus peel, and nuts if you are using them. Knead with the dough hook until just incorporated. 

Time to rest!

5. Rest #1: Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a moistened kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place until nearly doubled in volume 1 1/2 - 2 hours. 

That was a very successful nap.

6. Form the loaf: After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 4-5 times to lightly shape the dough. Some traditions roll out the dough and fold it over to signify the swaddling clothes of the baby Jesus. I just lightly shape the dough into an oval and put it on my parchment lined baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

7. Rest #2: While the oven preheats, let the loaf rest, about 45 minutes. 

8. Bake: Bake in the 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

9. Brush the loaf with melted butter, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Return to the oven for 3 minutes, and then dust with powdered sugar again and move to a wire rack to cool. (we never got to this step, everyone wanted to dig in 😆)

*We especially like Stollen toasted for breakfast on Christmas morning. Enjoy!